Is Corona Pandemic a Boiling Frog Syndrome?



For too long humans have been struggling with poverty, inequality, environmental degradation, conflicts and oppression of all kinds: race, class, gender, religion – to name a few. Why, now all of a sudden, the whole world is pouring attention on corona pandemic? What is the difference, then, between the corona crisis and the other ones? 

The answer is rather obvious – urgency.  Which reminds me of the boiling frog syndrome:  If you put a frog in boiling water, it quickly jumps out and saves itself. If you place the same frog in normal water and slowly raise the temperature, the frog body will adjust to the rising heat – it becomes numb and will remain there until it dies! The difference is panic reaction vs gradual decay. Humanity’s other crises have been evolving slowly, albeit steadily, over decades and centuries. Plus, they have not threatened everyone equally – albeit, they have helped to create huge chasms of the haves and have nots around the planet.

The current pandemic has exposed serious fault lines in humanity’s consciousness and behavior towards its members. The poor of the world will suffer most from climate change, pandemics, wars, etc. Even in the developed countries the outcomes of corona treatments are disturbingly unequal.  In the US, for example, the death rate among the African Americans is alarmingly disproportionate to others.  This exposure of historical shortcomings presents an opportunity to mend them. Can we still ignore these global challenges until they reach a crisis point? The choices we make now could chart the future of our species and civilization. 

Here are some hard questions: Could the corona crisis become a catalyst for humanity to pay genuine attention to its other crises? Could it change the human consciousness towards the recognition of the oneness and solidarity of the human race?    

Comments

  1. Kambiz Maani14 April 2020 at 22:34:00 GMT-7

    The point about this post was humanity’s choices in dealing with crises. The frog metaphor is used to contrast between reacting to an immediate problem or danger vs inaction at the face of slow threats. This dichotomy and tendency are commonplace in human behavior too – the choice between easy and quick fix vs hard and slow – akin to procrastination. For example, when we are tired, depressed and overworked, it is easier to visit the ‘happy-hour’ at the bar rather than the gym – which requires greater effort and determination. Similar to shifting-the-burden archetype, the side effect is dependency on the quick fix!

    Today, in addition to the corona pandemic, we are surrounded by predicaments of all sorts (some mentioned in the post). Yet, there does not seem to be a collective vision, will and plan to eradicate them. The urgency with which the world is dealing with COVID-19 is apt and must continue unabated. However, this also presents an historic opportunity for the world and us – as one human race – to progress to a new level of unity and cooperation to eradicate the historic global ills such as poverty, oppression, conflicts, etc. As systems thinkers, we know that this requires a fundamental mind shift –from a nationalist approach and self-interest to a global consciousness of the inherent oneness of humanity.

    It is timely to remember that, our current mode of social organization has evolved over millennia – from early man and family, to community, to tribe, to the city state/politics and now nationhood. Each stage of this progression has been built upon the earlier one to match the needs of that time: survival, protection, trade, growth, etc.

    Today, we live in a vastly different world, characterized by complexity, interconnections and most importantly interdependence. To counter the current and future threats to humanity, we will need a higher sense of unity, solidarity and cooperation, while maintaining our unique cultures, identity, and affinities.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Can the Corona Crisis Change the World - Forever?

Image
Amidst the global uncertainty, fear and turmoil that the Corona pandemic has brought to the world, it is difficult to discern any long-term positives from this crisis.   No doubt, the systemic effects of the pandemic, be it loss of lives, economic downturns, financial hardships, or psychological stresses will be felt by all for a long time to come.   Yet, history has abundant examples of resilient societies emerging out of crises ­ – stronger and more progressive. The Black Death of the 14 th century – one of the most destructive pandemics in human history – decimated about one third of Europe’s population. Yet its social, political, economic, and religious consequences changed the course of history. The 15 th century Europe became a “golden age”, bringing an end to serfdom, questioning religious traditions and dogmas, and paving the way for scientific discoveries and social and economic opportunities for masses.   The American Civil War, while devastating, it forged th
Read more

KNOWING YOUR TRUE SELF by Dr Cyrus Varan

               Knowledge is the source of human strength and prosperity. Knowing your true self is no exception and is a life changer.   It helps a man walk with greater vision.   It transforms human values, objectives, and the experience of life.               Humans are unique creatures with immense capabilities.   The human brain is a small mass of flesh.   What gives the human brain its immense power is the key to the recognition of man’s true self. I.                THE DUAL NATURE OF MAN               Science focuses on the nature and response of material elements.   Human senses have limited capability.   They can only detect matter.   The combination of the nature of science and the limitation of the senses has led to the common misunderstanding that matter is all there is.   However, based on both physical and biological sciences, matter is not all there is.   (1) Sunlight is not composed of mineral elements; yet, it is instrumental in the existence of all of the plants
Read more

Why Do Smart Managers Make Bad Decisions?

Image
  What do racial injustice, pandemics, financial crises, globalisation, poverty, stock market, climate change, traffic, movement of billiard balls, swarming of birds, and your diet have in common?     Complexity .   Complexity lies beneath all natural, physical and human systems – as in ecology, biology, business, and economy. According to Peter Senge, complexity occurs where cause and effect are not close in time and space – like the lag time between a seed and a grown tree, injustice and revolt, eating and gaining weight. Unlike ‘complicated’, complexity is unpredictable (a car is complicated, traffic is complex) – as complexity arises from dynamic interactions of numerous variables encompassing, social, political, cultural, historical, and psychological domains. Biologist Lewis Thomas, observed “You cannot meddle with one part of a complex system from the outside without the almost certain risk of setting off disastrous events in other, remote parts. If you want to fix something y
Read more