“Civilization was crumbling and it was each for himself,” wrote Jack London in The Scarlet Plague. The Covid-19 may not come to this, yet the thought that nothing, not the wealth, government, or the best scientifically produced vaccines can safeguard us entirely is terrifying.
As of this writing, concerns of a 4rth wave of covid-19 triggered by the delta variant, first identified in India, are echoed by the National Command and Operation Center—a nerve center for formulating a unified national covid-19 response strategy. Prime Minister Imran Khan termed the delta variant “the biggest concern” and advised people to follow standard operating procedures to prevent a country-wide lockdown.
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According to WHO, the delta variant is 60 percent more transmissible than the alpha variant, first detected in the UK, which in turn is 50 percent more transmissible than the Wuhan-linked covid-19 strain.
The safety measures that are frequently put in place to halt the spread of the virus, require staying at home, social distancing, wearing face masks, avoiding crowded places, border closures, travel restrictions, and lockdowns. These measures are meant to stop people from doing what is inherently human, which is to find comfort in the company of friends and family. These safety measures have impacted the lives of people around the globe on an unprecedented scale.
The glorious post-pandemic period that so many of us are craving for may not arrive any time soon. Instead, we shall have to brace ourselves for a gradual fade-out into the new normal. Now and then we’ll have to adjust ourselves to the lack of goings-on outside. Therefore one would need to find a silver lining in isolation by partying with historical and literary books to learn about the sheer resilience, courage, and unfailing forbearance that our forefathers showcased in the face of different pandemics and plagues at different points in history. Reading literary depiction of pandemics helps inform us that the answer to the pandemic is not xenophobic slanders but a collective response of universal brotherhood.
We have faced this before
Literary works are witness to history that pandemics in the past have reshaped societies in unfathomable ways. Millions have died, empires have fallen, and generations have perished.
The depiction of the apocalyptic outbreak of viral diseases and plagues has been a recurrent motif of literary works since antiquity. Such literary creations help the readers put the covid-19 pandemic in a historical and literary context. The current generation is not the sole victim of a deadly pandemic that is taking a huge toll in terms of human lives and wreaking havoc in the globalized world, our ancestors throughout history have been through such terrible scenarios.
The Peloponnesian War of 430 CE, coincided with the eruption of a deadly plague in Athens, the center of power, wealth, science, and philosophy. The plague lingered on for four years throughout the Greek islands in Eastern Mediterranean. According to historical sources, by its end, the epidemic had killed more than one-third of the Greek-speaking population. The Greek historian Thucydides recorded the outbreak in the History of the Peloponnesian War and gave a petrifying picture of what he observed. Sophocles, one of the most noted playwrights of the ancient world, wrote Oedipus Rex, which apart from holding undeniable literary value, also presents a significant medical interest because the play highlights a plague that had devastated Thebes.
Galen, another Greek author, not only witnessed the outbreak of the Antonine plague in the Roman Empire in 165 CE but also detailed its symptoms and course. The epidemic likely emerged in China and spread along the Silk Road through the trading ships that reached Roman shores. Cassius Dio, the Roman historian, estimated the mortality rate to be two thousand deaths at the peak of the plague. According to one estimate, by the time the plague was over, it had killed 5 million people. Amid the plague, Marcus Aurelius, the embodiment of Plato’s philosopher-king, wrote Meditations which is a record of the moral and psychological advice he gave himself to remain at peace with his inner-self while living in a tumultuous and chaotic world. He frequently applies Stoic philosophy to cope up with anxiety, depression, and loss. According to the book, everything that we face in this world is natural—illness/health, joy/sadness, and even death. The logos control one’s fate but give humans the freedom to choose their course of action while responding to circumstances. In a nutshell, Marcus has, in line with stoic philosophy, attempted to answer the puzzling question of how to keep composure at the time of the intolerable level of hardships. The book is a useful read for those who lack the required emotional and mental skills to cope up with the new normal.
Giovanni Boccaccio’s Decameron, considered to be a masterpiece of classic Italian prose, was written at the time of the black death that killed approximately 200 million people. Decameron is a collection of stories united by a frame story, set in Italy at the height of the plague. It is a depiction of the high mortality rates of the plague and the cultural and social changes it triggers during 14th century Europe. It details the horrifying effects of the plague not just on the physical bodies of the people but also on their emotional, psychological, and spiritual states and how it acted as a catalyst for the widespread acceptance of utilitarian values. Using the situation of the plague of 1348 as a backdrop, Boccaccio creates conditions essential for a group of young people to come together to indulge themselves in storytelling to pass time, amuse themselves and assure themselves that in the end humanity would overcome the plague. Boccaccio has taught the readers an interesting technique of keeping their minds happily occupied; the technique of story-telling. Boccaccio discovered that ‘was the best tool that humans had at their disposal to counter emotional overwhelm due to the uncertainty created by the plague.
Daniel Defoe’s A Journal of the Plague Year published a few decades after the 1665 Plague of London, is a great reflection on the community's collective response to the disaster. Since coronavirus has reached every corner of the known world and has become not just a global health crisis but a complex socio-economic dilemma, the response should be a collective action as well. Defoe’s Journal is a lesson that if we want to be successful against the invisible enemy, we need to commit to the values of solidarity, compassion, and cooperation. Daniel's masterpiece conveys a global message that we should not let the virus bring out the worst in us.
Karen Thompson‘s The Dreamers introduces a highly contagious viral disease that causes heightened brain activity in the infected that is suggestive of dreaming. At first, nobody has a clue about the origin of the virus and they keep pondering over multiple theories that could give them an idea about how the virus descended upon the college town. Such an apocalyptic novel leaves the readers stunned, as they can draw multiple parallels with the current pandemic. Walker’s characters face a shortage of face masks, protective gear for the health-workers; the town administration is gearing up for a lock-down and the people are living through an uncertain situation. Walker delineates a wedding with an asymptomatic bride. She writes "Whoever shares her lipstick that day, whoever borrows her eyeliner, whoever kisses her cheek that night or dances too close or clinks her flute of champagne, whoever touches her hand to admire the ring, whoever catches the bouquet at the end of the night — all of them, everyone, is exposed”
Apocalyptic literary writings emphasize human behavior: the fear of contagion increases vices such as cupidity and greed that can lead to moral and spiritual death. Pandemics destroyed civilizations in numerous ways, and the few survivors had to fight against all odds to stay alive. It was through their acts of valor that the world was built far better after each existential crisis.
ALL IS WELL THAT ENDS WELL
Humanity has bounced back from all the calamities of history, whether they were natural or man-made, owing to its immense resilience. According to scholarly sources, the Black Death triggered the great awakening in Europe now known as the Renaissance. People began to look at the world from a different perspective. Instead of relying on God for protection, they learned to rely on themselves to overcome various problems. Consequently, the era of reason, logic, science, and philosophical thinking dawned.
As the injectable vaccines are being distributed around the world, scientists in Israel are now rushing to get their hands on oral drugs to treat Covid-19. Their research may open new areas in the field of medicine, especially infectious diseases. We cannot rule out the possibility of a Renaissance in the field of medical studies.
The incredible strain on global supply chains because of the pandemic provides an opportunity for countries to divert funds to research and development to be self-sufficient in terms of crucial supplies and be better prepared for a crisis of global magnitude in the future.
In the words of the English metaphysical poet John Donne "the one thing that unites all of humanity is the commonality of death". If we analyze the current scenario in the light of Donne's statement, we can expect enhanced international cooperation to fight global crises such as terrorism, climate change, cybersecurity, nuclear proliferation, and epidemics.
Crisis brings out not just the worst in humanity but also the best; we can also expect Covid-19 to bring about a wide range of cultural and literary activities. Humanity may be reeling under the effects of Covid-19 for now, but it will bounce back stronger than ever, it always has, and it always will.
The article is written by Asif Abbas, one of the contributors to the SOL Community.
