I woke this morning, thinking.  Thinking about the threat of this virus, and the stock market’s reaction.  I wonder if there is something to the stock market drop that goes beyond the herd mentality of predictive growth slowing.  Maybe it smart money betting that something is changing.  We have become so accustomed, since the end of WW2, to expect continued growth and improvement in the quality of life, and life expectancy, that maybe it is difficult to imagine and to remember that continued improvements are not guaranteed.  The world has suffered greatly in many parts over the recent decades driven largely by war or local weather phenomena, such as the fires in Australia a couple of months ago, the war in Syria and other places.  But we have not seen a world-wide crisis since the end of the second world war.  We have enjoyed 75 years of relative continued improvements in prosperity, reduction in poverty, and advancements in science, art, and human understanding.   Sure, there are plenty that resist change, resist the opening of thought, of understanding, and even the globalization of commerce and advancement, but they have never really won the day.  Optimism, philanthropy, science, and human spirit for growth have been the winners, and have shaped our recent history.   However, progress and growth are not guaranteed.  A crisis, be it a pandemic, or climate change, and the simultaneous loss of faith in human ingenuity and values could tip the cart over and our future could be one of decline and dismay.  If we allow it, or we deny and resist reality.  And if we give into global challenges with a loss of spirit, with a loss of fire, intellect and desire to make the future better for our children, and grandchildren.

I don’t know why, but I feel we are at an historically pivotal moment that could be a major world-wide crisis, or more hopefully a wakeup call that reminds us that we are, and remain vulnerable to the randomness of nature and our response to it determines our futures.  Beware the ides of March.