THE NASTY CORONAVIRUS

       Daily Maverick

                                       Coronavirus source found in pangolin meat

by: Eloy Roy

 Every second that the good Lord brings, our large industry produces tons of greenhouse gases. The world has a fever, a dry cough and serious breathing problems ... It is intoxicated. Cancer is in our lunch boxes. Fish are born with two heads, birds with two beaks and we die like flies. Like good drunkards, we got used to these things. We don't make a big deal out of it. It is not terribly serious, we tell ourselves. These are the side effects of a thriving economy ... What is needed is to stimulate growth even more. With exponential growth, all problems will be solved. It will be the end of poverty. What a blessing!

 But the nasty coronavirus has arrived. All borders are closed, the Stock Exchange is nose diving, the price of oil is reaching a distressing level. The global scourge of crazy tourism is slowly buried in the golden coffins of gigantic luxury liners ... Masses are canceled. The Vatican is closed. Céline Dion is on leave. We make love with gloves ...

 During this period of "just" wars which aims to protect the interests of "the greatest" civilization of all times, they do not take a rest. Behind the few vague desires to come to the help of less favored nations, and some kind of solidarity or charity efforts that often yield more profit to the donors than to the beneficiaries, we try to outdo one another in killing, raping, torturing, devouring vulnerable populations; we squash, ignore or despise the innocent, women, children, natives, people of color ... And we practise corruption on a sublime metaphysical scale.

 This system which we adore with enthusiasm (because it has been identified with peace), and which we nourish with our prayers, our money, our generosity and with all the love of our hearts, causes billions of nameless crimes. And yet, all this seems "normal" to us, does not require any planetary mobilization, no global demonstration, no emergency measure. We all sleep on gas.

But here comes the bad guy that we did not see, the nasty Coronavirus, to call it by name, gets into our house through the doorknobs, handkerchiefs, toothpicks, farts, kisses, in schools, in the metro, in planes, in stadiums and in countless temples, large and small, where we crowd to flatter, adore and "boost" our finest delusions; here it comes, yes, to upset our beautiful "normalcy" and, without notice, it screws up everything.

 In articles however serious and full of good faith, devotees suggest that while waiting for the vaccine of salvation against this nasty virus, we return to our practices of yesteryear, and stock up on our old beliefs, like lighting candles, recite novenas, etc., (no holy water, however ..).

 Still, if we were able to unmake the world, we also have the power to remake it, even better. This power resides in our neurones and in the veins of our heart. Time has come to go down there ...

 From past disasters, we have learned at least that Hitler, Stalin or characters like Trump are not the best guides. Neither do our old-fashioned religions.

 Let us wage a merciless war against the nasty Coronavirus, since it is necessary, but, please, let us not forget the other pandemic which is much more serious, the most ancient, the deepest rooted, and toughest of all: that of an extremely rich world which since always enriches the rich and condemns most of humanity to a meager survival and premature death. This is the real scourge to fight against, the real science to develop, the real religion to practice.

March 2020

TRANSLATED FROM THE FRENCH BY JACQUES BOURDAGES