The Big One?
Regardless your take on the severity of this pandemic or the effectiveness of international efforts to halt it, it is not difficult to imagine a disease that is much, much worse. This is not in any way to discount the countless lives lost or economic hardship now faced by many, but only to pinpoint that this pandemic is not "The Big One".
My deepest fear during these times is born from the politicization and vitriolic debates surrounding the pandemic which have become pervasive on social media - the fear is twofold:
1) That an already growing distrust of authoritative organizations escalates - due to this pandemic - into a disposition of reactive dismissal the next time the sparks of an existentially threatening disease make headlines.
2) That our lack of foresight and differences in opinion - especially political - regretfully prevent us from incorporating lessons learned in preparing for this pandemic into both national and international strategies, thus maintaining our disastrous susceptibility to The Big One when it does come.
There have been plenty of blunders in the transparency, preparation, and execution of strategies to handle the pandemic, but no matter where you stand on these issues it is critical not to forget how apocalyptic infectious diseases can be - and how inevitable they are.
If we are to collectively withstand The Big One we need to create contingency plans and flexible strategies as does a military unit - even in peacetime.
Here is a fascinating and well thought-out article on some such potential strategies.