Childhood's End

I've borrowed the name from one of my top three favourite books, an Arthur Clarke jewel that outlines a tremendous change in the world that forces everyone to re-assess every preconceived notion they have.

The idea is present in more than just fiction, historical dramas sometimes refer to this occurrence too - the time to grow up as a people, often forced and usually against our will. Change is always hard. In wartime or other great stresses on a society we are forced to very seriously address the situation we face.  These are events or times when we leave our childhood, our complacencies and innocence behind.  I think as time goes on, we're entering another of these with the virus. A time when we will separate into those that act on what's best for us all, vs. their own self interest.  As I wrote about recently, it's my opinion that the "me-centric self-centeredness" was one of the least desirable outcomes of the positive and plentiful times that we have lived in 'pre-virus'.  In that sense, the virus has addressed an imbalance in how we have viewed our own position vis a vis others and taken society's benefits for granted.

And now it's over.  Now we have seen literal life and death choices being made - despite our advances, technologies and connectedness.  And now we are seeing the world start to re-open, and some complainers argue it's not fast enough.  But let's at least be honest with ourselves - we can't go back, we can't reclaim our complacency.  We need to be a little smarter and more adult about our immediate future.

We are facing hard choices, defining choices, and it will result in a seriousness about our greater situations.  At least I hope it will.   Our willingness as a species to take advantage of one another over a dollar, or food, or water or a job should be reassessed.  We need to understand that we are a village, and have to be both independent in our communities (for enough ventilators, PPE, and health care services), and willing to help when those outside our communities that need it.  In hindsight, what if we had all pitched in and helped China contain and defeat this thing ?

Babies are self absorbed until they learn about others through communication and socialization.  We adults can no longer afford to be.