What are the Hidden Lessons Within the Corona Virus Pandemic?
Ivan Figueroa-Otero MD FAAMA
Historical Perspectives of Origin of Pandemics
Pandemics have been a part of the human process of civilization after humans shifted from nomadic hunter-gatherers to agrarian organized societies that promoted the development of city-states. That resulted in the sprouting of powerful empire-nations. All these social changes encouraged the interaction of previously distant geographical regions that included their local diseases. These new social perspectives boosted the spread of diseases by the following factors:
1. Human interaction into more complex societies that brought individuals together.
2. Population shifts from rural to city living.
3. The introduction of money as a substitute for traditional trade exchanges that united commercially distant geographic locations.
4. Racial and geographic interactions associated with war and colonization.
The Interdependence of the Planetary Cycles of Change Between Humans and Gaia (mother earth)
If we review in historical detail the human condition that existed before each of the above pandemics. We could observe the dramatic changes that resulted at the end of these. We would see all the shifts on political, social, economic perspectives that arose as adaptations of survival of the human race. Out of these new empires and countries that emerged, different financial and medical theories emerged. The associated high mortality balanced the supply and demand of food sources between nature and the human population. Sadly, both pandemics and wars tend to revitalize the economy and shift the political power of the affected nations.
Origin of Viruses (which came first the chicken or the egg)
It appears in the study of frozen fossils that the bacteria appeared first, yet some scientists seem to differ. http://theconversation.com/viruses-can-cause-global-pandemics-but-where-did-the-first-virus-come-from-94551 The discovery of a viral type organism was credited to Dimitry Ivanovsky in 1892. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virus
What is a virus?
A virus is a small infectious agent that replicates only inside the living cells of an organism. Viruses can infect all types of life forms, from animals and plants to microorganisms, including bacteria and archaea. It’s much smaller than bacteria and initially could not be seen with the light microscope. It can reproduce only within cells of organisms, but it can survive outside cells for limited periods. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virus Many viruses that infect humans initially were only animal pathogens. The ability to undergo mutations in their nucleic RNA and DNA contents allows them to survive and reproduce to create pandemics. No medical treatment is effective in stopping the viral infectious process in humans. Vaccinations that have stimulated the human immunological system to prevent their reproductive cycles have been the most effective medical weapon to control the disease process.
The Animal-Human Connection
Many of worst pandemics originated from animal viruses, like HIV (monkeys), Influenza (chicken), smallpox (rodents), and swine flu (pigs) The mechanism of how the virus adapts to the human species is not precise, but alimentary patterns, the close proximity in domestic farms and vaccines manufacturing have been implicated. The difficulty in controlling virus epidemics is due to their capacity to mutate and camouflage their appearance from the immune system of the host.
The Dark Sides of Science
The emerging science of gene manipulation and bio-engineering has allowed the farming industry to harvest more resistant and productive crops. Together with the new applications of viral DNA and RNA manipulations that have been developed for new vaccines and new biologic therapies may be double-edged swords that can cut its maker. The arising methods of man-made viruses, together with the previously mentioned techniques, we could speculate that may promote the appearance of new mutations of existing human-related viruses. We could also say the field of weapons of biological warfare that no nation admits having or researching, as another possible source of novel pathogenic viruses.
The Hidden Lessons within this Viral Pandemic
The Law of Natural Selection, and the Evolutionary Process in the Gene pool of the Planet and Humans.
All these social changes, I tend to speculate that are the final effects of adaptation of the natural evolutionary process that entangles the gene pool of Gaia and humans. As we see in nature, species disappear both by natural selection and by human intervention. Yet, realistically, all these evolutionary changes are not apparent within the suffering, and social chaos experienced by humans within the pandemic. Only historians and future generations will be able to understand and enjoy the benefits of the adaptive evolutionary process and the improvement of the gene pools of humans and nature.
Our Responsibility on the Effects of the Planet’s Response to our Human Intervention
Similar to what I described in my article about disease symptoms, https://medium.com/@ifiguero/symptoms-the-check-engine-of-our-bodies-new-paradigms-of-health-258e91fcebd4 I tend to understand the planetary evolutionary changes with which nature responds, as warning signals (check engines). That only are allowing us to correct them before a significant irreversible crisis occurs. Gaia’s response initially whispers, then talks and finally yells at us with progressive levels of severity in its effect upon our population. Pandemics like mayor climatic catastrophes, like floods, earthquakes, and hurricanes, will shift their severity and frequency as our response varies. Comparable to our individual health, our diseases are the results of poor lifestyles as our planetary pandemics arise from our lack of our unfortunate ecologic mistreatment of our planet.
Conclusions
1. Pandemics are the result of the healing response of the evolutionary law of natural selection.
2. The remedial responses of the law of natural selection promote the harmonious interaction of the planet and its guests, humans, to assure the survival of the animals and plants with the best gene pools.
3. New social, political, and economic paradigms arise in synchrony with the biologic changes in the gene pool that reinforce the survival of the complex societies that arise from these.
