From Health Crisis to Truth Crisis

These are scary times. The global health crisis threatens to start a domino effect, leading to a political and financial crisis of unprecedented dimensions. Even more profound: a truth crisis is emerging in the mind of citizens who believed that work was their way to freedom and happiness.

Let’s be honest. The virus is nothing but a nucleic acid molecule in a protein coat that can multiply in living cells and thereby damage or kill the host. As a microscopic wolf in sheep’s clothing, the virus picks the weakest individuals and contributes to maintaining a strong and healthy population. That’s nature. Against it stands our moral values in a humanistic culture, ready to protect human life at all costs. It is us against it, good against evil, culture against nature, order against chaos. A battle of absolutes, a relentless war, we have to win.

Good versus evil

How bad the virus will affect us depends on the individual and collective defenses — our immune system and societal resilience. Each of us must self-protect and contribute to the safety of our society, while trying to limit the damages and adapt to the situation. The strategy is to contain and delay the virus, as we cannot cure or prevent the disease. We cut off transmission routes by staying home and away from others, washing hands and cleaning surfaces. Standing…