A 12th-century message sent to a “shelter-in-place” future

This is not hyperbolic.

This is perhaps the biggest global challenge most of us deal with in our life time where we can readily make a difference. Each, individually. Very significant difference. Without the need to leverage others, the governments, the corporations. This is where we have agency. Will we take this challenge properly?

Communities, towns, cities, states, provinces, and countries have declared a state of emergency in response to the #COVID19 #pandemic. To slow down the growth, to flatten the curve, to reduce the already colossal negative impact of this “slow snow storm” called the #Coronavirus #outbreak, some places like the city of #SanFrancisco have gone as far as putting in place a “shelter in place” decree.

I spoke about this and the so-called “flattening the curve” on March 9th:

Since then so many others have written, spoken, screamed, or cried about this. So thank you for spreading this important message!

It feels cliche already.

Yet, this is the thing. Believe it or not, there are still nonbelievers, conspiracy theorists, the renegades, the unruly, perhaps the unkind, who question it. Go against it. Undo all the rest of us are doing. Simple math and straight science are no good, it appears.

Social isolation seems to be the activity we can embark upon that will have the largest impact on the rate of growth COVID19 will demonstrate in weeks and months ahead of us. Here is why again (a bit of fun and 10x serious stuff):

Every one of us must assume we have the virus. That we are carriers. That we are asymptomatic helpers of the nasty outbreak (I hope you’re not suffering as much from any symptoms). Then all is left for us to do is to care! Care for the people of our beautiful planet, for our fellow countrymen and women, for our communities, friends and family, and really for ourselves. We have got to care to work together to slow this before it is too late. Before the endemic has taken millions of lives and pushed our economies into full-blown depression like no other. Our #healthcare system is already broken and our dedicated and stressed providers are literally dying to help us. Our doctors and nurses now must add COVID19 on top of their moral injury and stand straight. I feel their pain and I am only helping from the sidelines (with MeshAI.io).

We are all connected. We are one. Call it religion, ethics, Newton’s third law, karma, or harmony. We need altruism as this is about all of us as it is for us.

As the 12th century Persian poet Saadi said it beautifully:

Are you ready to flatten the heck out of this curve?

Let’s do this.

Stay home,

wash hands,

have compassion and flexibility,

spread the news,

stop the wrongs.

#flattenthecurve