Essays On Surviving COVID-19 and Beyond: Lessons Learned from the Ancients to the Present

This book is a culmination of thoughts and reflections triggered by the initial devastating wave of deaths from COVID-19, together with the mishandling of the responses and the manifestation of human fantasies, all of which were quite similar to what occurred during the Spanish flu pandemic at the time of World War I. Research on the history of plagues, wars, tyrants, and human behavior reinforced that there was "nothing new under the sun." As a biologist with an interest in evolutionary biology, I was curious to see if there were any insights we could learn from other species, but especially how mammals deal with behaviors such as competition, cooperation, empathy, and altruism. I discovered not only the well-known survival differences between the bonobo and chimpanzee but also how totally unrelated species can work together for the common good. One example is how the honeyguide bird in Africa helps humans find beehives and then how the honeyguide bird eats the leftovers. It also has become clear for humans to reflect that based on the complexity of societies and living organisms in general, there are no simple solutions to the survival of any species. However, one thing is clear: only through cooperation, empathy, and acts of altruism, like firefighters entering a burning building, soldiers confronting the enemy, and police protecting our schools, will the human species be able to live in harmony. Also, only by confronting selfish, greedy autocracies, plutocracies, and kleptocracies will the human species be able to survive on planet Earth.