We have 1.8 Billion or, more precise 7,777,005,224 people living on this planet (Easter 2020).                                                         

                                                                                                                                                                                                                           China has 1,438,110,025   India 1,377,020,772   Europe 747,510,500   USA 330,577,796   Japan 126,560,327   Italy 60,360,000   Spain 46,750,000   France 65,273,511   Germany 83,725,486   UK 67,886,011   Sweden 10,099,265                                                     Austria 9,006,398 and Australia 25,499,884 -             

These are just samples picked for relevance to the topic and out of personal interest in some of them. Being sick of hearing about this deadly corona virus apparently “decimating” the world’s population, it warrants scrutiny on the information available and, to put the data into perspective, including infection and death rates and, compare (the above and other) countries. It also warrants considerations in context of possible causes and reasons for the differences and examination of speculations associated with the pandemic in broader terms. So here it goes:

At the start of Easter we had apparently worldwide 1,703,018 infections and 102,843 deaths! Considering the population of our world (and the countries as above), this death rate is not even worth the mention particularly not since millions die of hunger, diseases and war every day. A disease with deathrates in the above numbers does not make my head spin in fear and neither should yours. Of course, these rate figures change daily and vary from country to country, regardless if they are now in a state of lockdown or not. 

China had 3,339 deaths so far of 81,953 infected. In the USA 503,177 infected and 18,761 deaths. Germany had 122,171 infected and 2,736 deaths. Japan dealt with 6,005 infections and 99 deaths. Austria had 13,667 cases and 315 dead and in Australia there were 6,292 recorded infections and 56 deaths.
Now in all these countries quarantine was ordered at variable times and more or less vigorously. China acted quickly, the USA less so, in Japan we had the first refusal of letting the virus into the country by not allowing cruise ships to dock, (which was very wise indeed) and though they have declared a state of emergency now, work continues, meaning, there is no overall lockdown as in most western countries except, Sweden, which still has none.

The reported figures of infection and death rates all over the world, do in fact not reflect how many infections actually are present, because most countries have not even tested their population, either because they have not the means to do it or do not consider it necessary, which in itself should raise everyone’s suspicions about how serious the danger to people’s lives is, particularly, when countries have the financial ability to do it. But instead of testing, various governments opted for putting some of their people under some form of quarantine, closing businesses and ordering social distancing, restrict travelling within the country apart from closing borders and, a form of “house arrest” for all to prevent any kind of social gatherings. But not testing for a disease caused by an unknown virus, bug or toxin is negligence first and for all as there could be a real deadly consequence. It is questionable in the case, when drastic attempts are made to prevent the spread which are solely based on indiscriminate assumptions, not facts. How can assumptions and, plainly suspicions justify the lockdown of a whole country? Neither does it prevent an unknown virus from spreading, but causes significant damage to the society at large, socially and economically, instead. And as it has shown very quickly with COV19, people carry the virus without symptoms, infecting the unsuspecting others unbeknown. If there was a real dangerous virus on the loose, this would be a disaster, (see Ebola outbreak in Africa not long ago). But here we have a loony attempt to prevent this virus from spreading by testing only people who already have the full blown disease, meaning the infectious stage is most likely over when they are tested. This is not a preventative measure! Any government claiming it was safeguarding its population and prevent them from harm with such poor strategies is pretentious, not caring. A “deadly” virus would warrant a far more serious and very different management indeed, (like China did immediately at time of outbreak).
Besides, any information passed on to the public about what is known of the virus so far has emotional overtones and is anxiety and panic provoking. It neither is complete by any means. The media feeds the public what is allowed to be fed and, being up for sensational reporting there is no restraint on a frenzy of reporting the worst of the worst. It looks to serve a purpose that is an intent to gloss over facts favouring biased information, suiting the government officials and its advisers and stir up public emotions. With all the keen scientists in a race to earn their glory it is hard to believe that there is no more to be said to this hype of a “deadly virus” on the loose. With such distortion, no report given to the public is truly trustworthy, which is confirmed when you scrutinize the messages and actions. Indeed, actions always speak louder than words and discrepancies are found all over the place. To start with,- there was no alarm raised by the authorities even long after it was known that the virus affected particular groups of people. Hardly a measure was put in place to protect them from exposure, and I don’t mean to put them in quarantine. The ones who care for them ought to be screened so they do not pass on a virus deadly to them! But no, the whole population is told to stay at home for no other reason than to “flatten the curve” (of infection). The rationale being that then nobody gets infected or becomes a carrier, or already a carrier without symptoms, the virus could not be passed on unnoticed. What a joke! And! Since many health care systems cannot properly cope with an increased number of patients due to poor resourcing, the statement that younger people would be treated rather than the old because their lives being more valuable is age discrimination, which is upheld by both, medicos and government, even under normal conditions. It sure is no sign of a caring government, which it claims to be und is so keenly purporting. And the media is full of praises for Scott, the Moron, who has no clue what is what, except he is a pushy sales man with an outstanding tenaciousness, which he puts to good use in covering up the holes of his and the government’s incompetent wheeling and dealing.

Since enough time has elapsed to gain knowledge and insights of the virus, the public still receives plenty of sensational updates but factually piecemeal news and, testing still has not encapsulated the majority of people, so we will never know how many people actually became infected in the first instance. Therefore, the available data should not be taken as the mantra of useful results because it rests on too many uncertainties and variables. No data can reflect the true value correctly when essential data has not even been included in the investigations. This is like saying, all people are red. To assume that no other coloured people are around, is not science but an assumption. Other coloured people were just not seen when or where they looked. Selling assumptions as the truth is not only misleading, it is a sign of a corrupt mind too. Such “science” is misused science and whoever propagates it is indeed dangerous to any society, democratic or not.

Europe had some sad infection- and death rates and so has the USA. It certainly raises the questions what the reasons for such different and sure upsetting figures are, particularly since some areas, even within a country were specifically affected and death rates far higher than in other places. This of course skews the average estimation of how deadly this virus is. It still does not serve as evidence for it overall. What is does mean however is, that the virus is dangerous for some people under certain circumstances. Sorry folks, I am looking at data and not at the emotional cost that every death carries for the ones left to grieve. And though the incoming incident rates change rapidly, the trend remains pretty much the same. You do the math and screen the data and you will come up with far less risk to lives overall than what the various governments want you to believe.

Of course, health systems can be overwhelmed by increased demands, but what is their baseline functioning? Italy for once has been known to have not only an old age population but was on a limp with its medical care capacity for years, about which staff, nurses as good as doctors have been complaining and, demanding it to be fixed to no avail. Interestingly, and may I say so typically Italian, the supplies rolled in as the emergency became horribly apparent. The same applies to health care systems in other countries and everyone knows the problems the USA has. Nobody wants to admit, (particularly not in Europe), that their country is not up to the best level of health care and that they struggle with every heavy flu season too. 

But there are sure more factors contributing to clusters of infection and death than just poor resourcing. Let’s make it very clear, not everybody stays home when they feel sick. Some people may not even be able to afford not to work, Japan being a good example, but their infection rate and death toll seems to be very low considering the massive workforce, more like an ant hive than ghost city, if you get the drift. (They may however not be reporting either). Other societies are particularly community and family orientated and live in each other’s pocket, so to speak and, poor folks will always live in far more crowded and unhealthy conditions than the affluent side of a country’s society. Sharing and caring may not always be a good thing either, at least not when you have a contagious disease going full throttle without anyone knowing until it becomes obvious; never mind, this is true for seasonal colds and influenza just as well. Any new influenza virus can strike as badly despite vaccination, which protects you only good enough for the known strands not a new mutation, which then has a detrimental effect and people do die in the thousands. Just look at the figures from a bad flu season. So, if you consider poor health care funding, the social nature of Italians, the elderly more likely to live in the country, the unknown effects of an unknown virus, you have all the more reason to conclude, the devastating numbers of deaths amongst (e.g. Italy) an older population particularly at risk, are rather logical than a sign that the new virus alone is to blame for the hair raising outcome.   

And then we have Sweden. Sweden faces the pressure from countries in lockdown, where scaremongers and overzealous politicians are now flexing their muscles in an unprecedented show of state control and disregard for civil rights, under the excuse to want to save lives. Sure there are also the governments who genuinely believe they do the right thing, or they are just angst ridden for being seen as “uncaring”, or they need to conform because they have not enough stamina to go their own way and not buy into the hype as  created elsewhere by who knows who. However, it is sure not acceptable to point the finger at a country which does act according to their own advisers, who by all means cannot be classed as incompetent. Now, Sweden has 9,685 infections recorded and 870 deaths (at the time of writing the article) and no lockdown, instead, providing sensible directives for the public and, a sensible population does what should be done in any case of a contagious illness going around. Belgium and Netherland have higher infections and death rates than Sweden, the rate being in the high 20 000 for both and deaths at 3,015 and 2,511 respectively, despite lockdown. But whose infection and death rate gets reported in the media? That of Norway and Denmark, because they got less infections and of course far less deaths, though they still rise under their lockdown. Now does that speak for fair reporting or the success of having a lockdown? However, in the political climate sweeping through Europe like the virus itself, one can only admire the Swedes for their stand against the pressure that the outside world puts on them. Not to cave in and not to do the same as everybody else shows courage. Their experts provide advice too for their government with no less scientific clout than the rest of Europe. The question here is however, how can they remain so calm under the turmoil created around them? My personal answer is, because they are an advanced democratic and socially conscientious society, which has a sound trust in their capabilities and therefore can trust their government elected by them. One reflects the nature of the other and it is to their benefit all the way, even in the face of losing lives, which sadly is not preventable when a new virus plays the field and no defence is activated as yet. But Sweden’s death rate gets demonised. That kind of biased media sails in the high winds of state sanctioned propaganda. And the reasons are obvious. Sweden is a sore thumb in the madness that has taken over most western countries. It ridicules them and their kind of experts. It could even mean political backlash if it turned out the Swedes were doing it right and, the duped populations realize the plunder. Because what happens in these lockdown countries is the demolition of values that has kept western democracies afloat and their critical intelligence alive. These minds but are crucial as they emphasise and press for the change necessary to set up the future course of civilisation, should there be a chance for all to survive in the face of global destruction and the present climate change reality.
The hype around this new corona virus is unprecedented, particularly as SARS in 2003 had overall a higher deathrate than the current version of it. People survived worse than these epidemics and do so every time when a new type of flu causes havoc with deathrates high too. Will now be lockdowns ordered every time this is occurring? Is it that what is meant by saying society will never be the same after this pandemic has run its course? Unlikely, but if so, it would be no good prospect, I would say.
But who really wants you to believe the propaganda that this virus is so deadly and that state orders are justified in the interest of all people, even at the cost of societal functioning, livelihoods and mental wellbeing? Well, it is like in a violent domestic situation, when victims are constantly bullied so they finally believe they have no abilities, no means, and no way to escape the inevitable and thus endure what should not happen in the first place. Control can bend everyone’s mind into believing whatever the controller wants the victim to believe. Isolating the victim from family, friends and community is part of it and every controller’s tool to assert complete compliance to his rules und his control. In a relationship we know the perpetrator. When it comes to government and population the perpetrator is far more disguised. Who supported Hitler in his endeavours? The behind the scene lobbies, - without them Hitler would not have soared to the heights he did. He had an army of experts driving the propaganda which he by himself could not have generated. He sure became the evil man, while the ones behind him, as evil, mind you, never were openly shamed. It leaves you with a lot of speculations, particularly as at the moment the view to the behind scene remains obscured, veiling the driving power steering the course.   

There have been conspiracy theories popping up all over the place and though Societerna does not support any, nor believe them to be true it cannot deny, anything is possible. Besides, there are enough reasons why these ideas are feasible. For one, it would be naïve not to take the cunning human nature into account, their greed and hunger for power. Humans brought this planet and its life to the point of destruction and it looks like the exploitation will go on. The global economy is controlled by a few stakeholders and it will be them to determine who or what is deemed to be of value to keep and who or what is dispensable. There are also the governments who indeed strive for world domination and none of them can entice Sozieterna to trust their word.

Throughout history were battles for just that, domination. China certainly is in the process of actually achieving it. Now! That is not desirable for many reasons but who says China is responsible for the pandemic? Though it broke out in China and their appetite for anything alive to eat or use is no secret, but does it mean, China was indeed responsible? Did this new type of corona virus really evolve there to suddenly find the human host better for its survival than whatever animal it is supposed to come from? It may just be very convenient to have such species jumping virus in China because their wildlife markets are a shocking breeding ground for any disease, but China has also become a political nightmare, attempting and actually succeeding to become the dominant political power of this world. Or was it an unfortunate accident that let the virus escape from a lab in China researching biological processes and/or warfare? Or, did it come from any such labs in the world and was planted in China? Believe it or not, secret labs exist and the ends justify the means, isn’t it?

China’s policies are something one may not like about China, but who helped China to gain such political and economic power? Yes, right! It was the West, driven by globalisation efforts of its economy and the greed of the western markets for quick profits regardless what that meant for their own societies and China’s disregard of human rights. The West gave China the opportunities to grow, instead of keeping these opportunities at home and now, the West has become dependent on China more than is good or desirable. So why not cutting down the tall poppy? Isn’t it better than let it spread? Who cares about lives when other important goals are at stake? And lives are lost in any conflict. Did that ever prevent wars? That’s what secret services are good for and meant to do, intervene, find the enemies weakness, and stir up the hot spots without leaving a trail and either prevent full on war or at least prepare for it, should it become necessary. All in a day’s work for your country so it is said! Alas, secret services do not just spy on other countries, they are active agents, on a mission to carry out any orders; they are not called secret service for nothing, just remember that. And of course any rich and powerful country has labs for research on the little critters for the better or worse and some just happen to be kept in secret facilities to investigate biological warfare. But this kind of work bears an inherent danger for staff and the unaware people at large. They must be tightly guarded for security reasons at the best of time, secret facilities or not. And let’s face it, biological weapons are an excellent way to win a war. No need for the arsenal of common weapons, just release a virus. It is obviously very successful in the inanimate realm, infecting computers/systems, even John D. at home knows the damage such viruses cause. In fact the most elegant, most effective and most heinous way of warfare is contamination with viruses of both kind. The only problem in biological settings is that viruses, once released, do not discriminate and come back home to haunt you, causing death here and there as good. You believe nobody of sound mind would do such thing with the inherent risks as pointed out? Well, better think again. Consider regimes desperately clinging to power, countries at war, a terrorist group wanting to make a statement or, a psychopath on the loose and yes, it is a despicable act, condemned by everyone, but it does not mean, it won’t be done. A virus is far less likely to be traced back to the source of origin. The dirty deeds can be done and no one can prove anything. Besides, viruses can escape tightly controlled environments, accidentally and unintendedly, and only one person may be to blame. Or you believe you can control a virus, because you know its make-up and thus know how to contain it. Sadly, that of course can be a miscalculation but, - who would actually want to take the risk of damaging their very own country? Ah, it is just a risk ratio calculation to ascertain the odds. Once again, everything is possible in a world ruled by the most deadly species of all, us.  

Who does not know by now, war is no longer fought with fist and sword? Old fashioned weaponry though still playing some role, because what do you do with all the weapons in store, they are really just a good show off in parades to impress the nimble minded, but that is nowadays window dressing rather than of importance, because you only need a virus to make the world stand still. The preferred virus at this point in time is for sure the cyber space invader, easier to control and to safeguard yourself from damage, which is as yet not quite as easy with the real thing. And isn’t it funny that we are told and believe we are at war against a virus? A (one sided) war we don’t win of course, because the virus will hang around no matter what you do. The best then to do is to build up and stimulate the immunsystem. The quicker that happens the better you fare and, develop at the same time protection via vaccines, which is not necessarily an all-time solution, as we know from the flu virus already. Cutting the losses down is of course helpful, though losses you will have this or the other way. But to actually think you help the situation by protracting the course with general isolation measures and lockdowns, you are not thinking straight nor logical. In fact, it is the more counterproductive strategy on every level that should be considered, from personal losses to societal and the economical. Yes, with a new virus you have to immediately quarantine until you know what you are dealing with, but a generalised lockdown later on, with a death rate hardly reaching the 2% overall, these strategies are window dressing at best. And do not bother to show me statistics that prove otherwise, because I am aware what statistics are, what they mean and how to use them. They are a tool, not the truth.   

Furthermore, the questions around this COV19 are many and remain unanswered. Its origin is unconfirmed and its specific novel actions are interesting but add to the mystery. No hard evidence exists to prove it was indeed jumping species. Scientist feverishly searching for answers hypothesize while still scratching their heads, because in fact, COV19 is not really a new kind of virus, SARS is after all its family. It belongs to it no doubt, but it has some modified features which are not truly that new either, because respiratory symptoms marked SARS too. The differences are not that substantial as far as can be concluded from the information given to the public, because it spreads as vigorous as any other virus when there is no immunresponse in place and, it starts with flu like symptoms as well. It has all the viral trademark of common cold and influenza action, meaning the modifications are very specific and in standing of novel virus efficacy rather than novel symptoms, caused by a not so new virus after all. It’s preference for weak immune system hosts is no surprise either. Every bug has the best survival chance if immune system response is low or has not even been established to fight it off. Therefore the damage caused during that first infection wave is the most grave. But where did it come from? Are bats or any other so called co-hosts really providing the environment for such subtle and very specific modifications? It is well known that viruses, bacteria, in fact any organic life form adapts to their changing environment. All living things modify and alter their genetic make-up all the time, including us. It is a necessity of survival. In this case it may be a real blessing for the pangolins (and bats) if they are the source, because the resulting pandemic might safe them from extinction, though it is far from guarantied, with humans around as ignorant and ferocious as our species.  

But let us look first for whom the virus is most damaging. Though spreading rapidly it affects most people mildly, meaning the majority of a population is not at risk of dying from it. It targets the respiratory system yes, but 70 to 80% have light to moderate symptoms,  severely affected are the old and feeble, people with a weakened immune system and pre-existing conditions that cannot deal with added stress and, it seems to particularly like the male gender, which is indeed very novel and discriminative. Which population fits that picture and what does it cost the health care systems to look after them, even before they get sick with COV19?

As the virus sweeps through the aged like wildfire, remember, they are outnumbering the young in many western countries and are not necessarily seen as an asset, rather as a burden. The question governments raise all the time is how to provide for an aging population when hardly enough young people are around to supply the necessary income for the pensions. It has already caused headaches for government fiscal planners, who seem to believe the pension system is unsustainable as it is. Then there are the essentially poor, the welfare dependant, the homeless, the fugitives and minorities nobody wants, cramped and crowded in substandard housing or camps nobody cares to see and for whom there is neither affordable welfare nor work, and though many would like to work, work has gone to China, or elsewhere where labour is cheap. No joke! The newly implemented restrictions cause economic pain for many people but, the weakest always suffer first. The costs due to the economic downturn are inevitable and the long term consequences are shocking, but the prospects are far more bearable if you get rid of the expenses an unwanted burden brings. This way you can ease the future pain and even turn initial losses into longer term gain. Naturally and for good reasons, this is a cynical take on the compassionate governments that try to “safe lives”. 

Indeed, little consideration is given to these vulnerable groups and how they fare through the crisis created by governments. It is worsened by law enforcement as these people cannot effectively follow “social distancing” directives and orders. It is also unlikely they ever get tested for the virus, whether when sick and sure not when they have died. The difference of health between the well-off and the underprivileged is substantial and we all know, accessing health care is far more easy for the affluent than the poor and disabled. Lowered immunresponse? You guessed it to whom it applies! However, stress is a problem even amongst the wealthy. To put an example out for discussion: Boris Johnson and Prince Charles. Both got infected. But who do you think is more likely to be stressed? Well, the obvious one needed intensive care. Lucky for him to get into ICU, though who knows, if he would have recovered anyway, as so many others have to without privileged treatment, or died, because a younger one needed his bed.

Anyway! The official handling of this pandemic offers more than enough points and discrepancies to ponder about, since social distancing and lockdown cannot really be equally enforced on all citizens and, slack testing for such “deadly” virus is of no more interest other than for statistics and investigations as needed for research. This should at least raise some concern and criticism on governmental attitude and actions. So far, I only hear appraisal for Scott, the Moron and his cronies, with very few exceptions. Thus, my cynical views are foremost a reflection on governments and politicians but not only and, far more frightening, their societies too. Though no government I know of has claimed it could prevent the virus from spreading, the goal is to “flatten the curve”. But why then insisting on having a deadly virus at hand? The management of a really deadly virus would be very different and would mean an enormous task to do, not something as flimsy as the current efforts. (Once again, Ebola!) So what is the real agenda here? Kudos have to be given to the Chinese (and Korea), having had to deal with the unknown virus first up. Their lockdown was justified and as successful as can be. Their reporting of course may not be forthcoming, actually never is, but their management of a possibly deadly disease in the making was impeccable. It leaves Scott, the Moron way behind, not surprisingly either.       

Another interesting point to scrutinize is the species jumping of viruses generally, examining it from another perspective altogether. Environmental changes humans have caused with their activities are most likely a contributing factor to having more disease outbreaks overall. Humans may not grasp the long term risks to their health living in polluted air, consume food from exploited soils and catch fish and animals living in and from toxic waters. Bugs, algae, viruses evolve in conditions that are for humans intolerable at best of times. The jumping of them from one species to another is not as clearly understood nor without doubt by any means. It is not even the most likely. Simple life forms live in the most hostile conditions and as the changes in climate and in the environment occur they thrive, giving them more than enough opportunity to do well and multiply with and without us. After all they are the real survivors, ancient creatures, our ancestors if you like, or at least relatives. They do not need the same pristine conditions as the highly specialised creatures like us. Air pollution, toxic soil and water is a problem for us, not them and though we have the capacity to adapt and change too, they can do it far quicker and far more effective than organisms burdened by multiple cells and of sophisticated and complicated functioning. However, humans of deprived health are a feast for little creatures, any critter, big and small. But why species jumping viruses would only in recent years become frequent leaves more than a question mark. Viruses, we know, need a host to multiply. A defenceless host is a perfect host, but there is still no logic to why they would jump species. Even a modified flu virus sticks to their original host and multiplies there with new vigour. No need to search for new hosts. If it did so, these events would have occurred throughout time, not just only in rather recent years. It may however offer an explanation for things quite mysterious, or, in fact, offering an easy way out of a conundrum of not knowing how a new disease came about. And though the urge to investigate is present, the resources for doing so are not, because finding the causes is not really the priority or of particular public interest. Money flows into finding a cure, a vaccine or treatments to control the illness and though the laudable scientific communities might be interested in the cause of virus’ origin, they concentrate their efforts to where it is most useful and where money can be made and laurels can be earned. After all, the pursuit of finding a cure and eliminate a threat to human life brings glory and the money invested will bring at least dividends. Doubts about the HIV virus, jumping from monkey to human, are in fact longstanding and were raised, even substantiated by facts and, quite convincingly that this virus was man made. HIV was indeed the first reported case of such species jump. The odd thing is that this particular virus has ceased its jumping since. It has established transmission from human to human without any logical explanation why suddenly no monkey transmits the disease to humans anymore, doing it just once. Nobody is interested to ask this question for it is overshadowed by the consequences of what that virus does to humans and how to get rid of it. One could easily argue that monkey still infects human, just not as big in scale as human transmission goes. Well, not good enough prove of anything jumping, I say. The same actually is true for SARS and MERS, swine flu, camel flu whatever. You would have to eliminate all these animals to prevent the viruses jumping not just once but to prevent them from continuing to jump, which in fact, none of them seem to do. Animals have to live with a bad reputation which they may not even deserve. Poor bats, they carry the most blame. Of course, animals cause illnesses in humans, but not the way as it seems to be fashionable since HIV. And, of course, nobody would consider anyone capable of doing such a crime, to release a lab made virus for targeting people one wants to get rid of. Or was it just a co-incidence with the gay movement starting to cause red neck society great concern and then voila, there was suddenly a bug who targeted the gay men, in the Caribbean, not in Africa where the first gay was supposed to have got it from the monkey and who then travelled to the mecca of gays’ holiday hot spots, from where it was brought to first of all ports, New York. Naturally, the raised issue of a man-made virus was as quickly passed over as the blink of an eye, because experts, of course, where telling the public over and over again that it only was the monkey and never ever a human being who infected the unfortunate gay.

Whatever the reader may prefer to believe, enough doubt should remain on what experts tell you is the truth. It should make you at least cautious of who is telling whom what. Sadly, trust is a luxury and humans do the most horrific things. Who indeed can and wants to trust a government that is hungry for power and in pursuit of money and votes, with scandals popping up like popcorn and foul empty excuses for it, if any at all? Power is something you as the normal citizen cannot even fathom and what it can do to you as you climb the ladder into the high realm and, how ruthless people are on the level you have no access to. On such high platforms of power it is no problem to use people, experts, politicians and scientists, you name it, nor, to give controversial interests a legitimate spin. This is in fact what power is all about, using anyone and anything for what you want, which you on the ground level of hierarchy cannot even comprehend because you never tasted power like this and you never will in your lifetime.

Ever wondered about statistics and how confusing they are for simple John D? Statistics are a useful tool, not just for the purpose of research but for the purpose of bending the truth too. You can claim the opposite of what one says and prove it with statistics claiming to have the evidence of being right. Statistics confuse the uneducated by means of numbers and incomprehensible jargon. They do in fact bog down real and undisputable facts by drowning them in misleading statistical figures derived from premises differing from the one in discussion, therefore producing a different result. Then of course the figures presented are right as claimed by the opposing parties, but that they are beside the point, who but the statistically educated understands that? And who will win the discussion, which you will never want to listen to, because they are mind numbing and boring with numbers been thrown around like corn for the chucks and in semantics for the initiated only? Of course the ones who serve the more powerful lobby win most discussions due to plentiful funding for research that suits their interests and the clever and plentiful statistics to make their point. May be after years of ‘fighting’ for the true facts, these become apparent for all to see, but valuable time has been lost and damage was done.  

Now let us look at why normal folks are so easily lead on. The majority of people actually believe in honesty and the good of human kind. It may not be any more to the same extent as it used to be, but human nature is tuned into the simple rules of existence and societal obligations. Humans are social creatures, even herd bound. Herd animals don’t usually act against the other within its herd, but they are not necessarily of the peacefully gracing type. Humans seek protection within their group, large or small, but if they can they like to take advantage of each other as they go about their lives. Their social communal life has to be regulated to keep the individuals in line which is best done by a hierarchical order and laws. The ones at the top get of course the better deal but they also make sure that the ones down in line have enough life essentials to keep the herd together and functioning. Societies have natural taboos and one of them is not to jeopardise the community they live in. They believe in authority as the well-meaning body looking after the less capable members. Though there may be the thugs on occasion, generally, authority and people work together to keep the herd safe and sound and punish the rogue characters. Of course, overcrowding is an issue and watering down the basic morale is a sign of decay. Long term, no community can tolerate it, if it wants to stay together and thrive. Crowds can easily turn into a mob pushing the top level to strengthen their power, which may not be necessarily for the good of the community and, the loss of morale leads to increased antisocial behaviour, which usually comes from the top where the power lies and infiltrates the ranks, destabilising the herd from within. We sure have the overcrowding on the world stage and definitely a moral decay and soon we will have to fight more than ever for resources, so humans stand at a crossroad and need to decide which way they want to go. Having always cherished herd living, instinctively we believe that we all really only want to do the right thing for family, community, the country, as we are accepting our vulnerability. The weaker we feel the more we need the herd. Therefore we crave rules from the top and follow rules as it safeguards communal leaving. It is really unthinkable that one of our own herd could actually inflict harm on the herd. It is treason, it is taboo. This kind of “bad” people are thought of being the exception, at least that is what we are told and do believe. But are they that rare? And what is “bad”?     

Are the agents of a secret service with a licence to kill bad people, even if the target may well lie within the herd? Or are these only spy stories? Serving us normal citizens as entertainment it does not even enter our minds that secret services operate in the real world and their business is kept secret for good reasons. It is the state of knowing but not knowing that we indulge in, watching James Bond and the rest, doing business outside and for the herd. While the gritty truth escapes us, in fact, we do not really want to know that exactly these services may also take care of business within the herd. Governments make decisions behind closed doors and there are archives of files stamped secret, not to be released to the public for a certain time, if not for good. Why? Because they are deemed too sensitive for the public to know! But why? This should always be a concern, because what is not in the interest of the public? What safe guards are in place to ensure that the public is not duped? And who says governments never make decisions that could harm the public, certain people or minorities, or people who try to expose foul deeds? You would have to be definitely naïve if you thought a government would not harm you ever. To be fair, we need to look at us citizens too. That’s in fact where it really gets frightening.

Would you do something that is against your community, or the government, or against the law ? Never, you say, not you, others do. Therefore, you have nothing to hide and no objection to be scrutinized and watched. If it was for the good of the community it is justified and punishment serves the peace and as a deterrent too. You would never resist police to enter your home for the purpose to prove you are a law abiding citizen, are insightful to your government’s purposeful control and surveillance as it seems to be necessary to safeguard you and your loved ones from harm, including subversive elements in the community that could be dangerous to you and all. You would not protest against any of governmental decisions nor that of their institutions, nor oppose any policies deemed to be in your and the public’s interest. You are no whistle-blower because you truly and with all your heart you can generally trust your government doing the right thing and because you live in a democracy, where governments get elected by people like you. You need, you want, you should be protected from harm, criminals, fanatics, enemies of the state and, subversive elements who ruin the overall peace! Hallelujah! You live in heaven, not on earth, where governments do subdue folks for political reasons, where people lose their reputation, their livelihood and get killed over cover-ups be it for mismanagement and corruption, political agendas or criticism, or just plain suppression against powerful interests.

Don’t ever doubt and never forget, obedience and compliance does not save you from being exploited, nor from being sacrificed. The opposite is true, because with such attitude you no longer live in a so called free world. You are a servant to a regime, like it or not. You have lost your freedom, your intellectual liberties, your creative boldness, in fact, you are no longer the individual but the conformist who is better suited to wear grey uniforms than colourful cloth. Of course, regimes offer opportunities too and they foster their prodigies. Your skills may be utilized, if not exploited and it is always in the interest of the state, who will never let you forget it. Conforming to the machinery of power you as an individual no longer exist. So, folks, if you care about freedom, better keep an open mind instead of trusting in the good will of even elected democratic governments and their institutions, particularly when they favour secrecy over transparency in governmental business.

Does that have anything to do with the corona pandemic? By all means and far more significant than you think. How the outbreak is managed and impacts on our lives, how the public is informed and motivated to deal with it and how the aftermath will be, it warrants your participation to make it beneficial for you. With obedience you will have to put up with whatever the top decides and it may not be good for you.

It is also interesting that we are meant to fight war against an enemy who has no intention to fight us, just use us, but the propaganda of going to war keeps us marching and we do so to the tunes, slogans and jingles, as soldiers do in real war. It is extraordinary indeed how catch phrases of advertisement are turned into catch cries of war. It puts your emotions on high heat and hones in to your herd mentality. But a virus is a natural living organism. It has no intent to harm you as a person. Viruses are just more successful than any human beings as far as survival goes, having found a way to survive despite having no means to do so on their own. They utilize what or who is the most suitable for their propagation. They are part of life and part of nature just as you and me. Instead of going to war to suppress such formidable creature it would be far more effective to keep cool and look how to prevent our surmise by becoming a more unpalatable host. Yes it means, washing hands, sneezing into a handkerchief or even a sleeve if nothing else is at hand and, it means that you stay away from crowds and abstain from close physical interaction, particularly when you got some sign of illness regardless of what ailment it might be, because you don’t want to give it to your lover, your kids or anyone else as it could be a nasty present indeed. But all this precautions should be a natural attitude of yours at any time, corona or not. It should definitely not need governmental order and policing. Mind you, if a virus is indeed so deadly to warrant quarantine on a big scale the government has an obligation to step up and assist the public, but to call it going to a war, is not helpful as it blurs the focus of attention and distracts from what the goals are. The focus should be on proper protection, separating meticulously the hot spots from the rest of the public and tracking anyone who may have moved on and could spread the illness unknowingly. Testing and quarantine are part of proper management but not indiscriminate and to the detriment of a whole country and its people who are stopped from going about their business on grounds of suspicion alone. There is no need to organize the public for war, for it is a health issue. No need for such propaganda to fight an enemy whom you cannot defeat, since the creature is far more intelligent in its survival strategies than the humans who are going to war against it. By the way, not all scientists agree, viruses are actually a living organism. What does that say about the experts, battling and bickering over opinions and definitions? (More about life and viruses in another article).  

So! Do humans ever learn? They have gone to war with nature all the time. Despite the fact that they never have nor ever will win, they keep on trying. Of course, nature is not fighting a war against humans either, it just is adjusting to and correcting the damage humans have inflicted on it. So please forget this stupid war cry of “being in it together” to fight and endure and win a war. It is already clear that the virus is here to stay, meaning it is way off from getting defeated.

And last but not least, the reporting of infection and death rates as adjusted daily are anything but reliable. Some countries will be honest in their assessment and passing on their figures but others will not and many more have not even the means to actually ascertain any reliable data. Meanwhile, as the overzealous governments realize they have to get out of this mess they created sooner than later, one can already watch the attempts they make to “ease” the way back to normal. Stalling serves them, because no government can afford to admit that not the virus but their caring is devastating and that they should be ashamed of themselves for being the ignorant they are. The “flattening of the curve” comes naturally, that is when the host bodies organise a solid immune response and the virus cannot invade unchecked. And note, it is not achieved by government rules. The politicians count on a vaccine being developed which is frantically searched for but is unlikely to beat the human immune system which also works frantically, just with less ado. However, while you helped the government to survive the embarrassment of a poor coping health care system, your suffering will not end with the pandemic having run its course.

But as the critical voices amongst folks get louder and the governments can see that these lockdowns cannot go on for much longer, the claims that the infection curve is flattening because the lockdowns were successful is beyond relevance, but it looks wonderful in the colours on the graphs. It has little to do but of having the virus under control as it may return lively when the restrictions are lifted. What is counted upon though is, that the population has meanwhile gained some resistance, after all the spread of the virus was never halted. And the public gets praised for it’s so wonderful cooperation preventing a disaster, which turns out was little more than an ankle bite of a barking little dog in defence of its territory. However, the governments need to safe face and the tactics they use are as dubious as their crisis management. It should not be too hard though for the public was so easily manipulated in the first instance and bears their losses without complaint.

But finally, who is going to pay the bill for this “war” on this oh so deadly virus. As usual, the foot soldier and the commoner. They die first on the field and always foot the bill. The rich usually don’t even pay as much taxes as the normal employee, who has little chance to avoid fiscal demands. So if the virus has not yet got you, your future well-being is far from guaranteed.

One needs to ask, if you are at war, who is your enemy? The virus is not your enemy, it is a health issue, as we should by now understand. In fact, the agenda of this “war” is a global game of repositioning power. The politicians, the shining knights in armour united for a mission, they believe in, which is but of political nature not that of health. Being in position of power gives them the opportunity to determine the course their countries should take in the world’s future as they find it should be, or as they want it to have. They do not realize your pain nor do they care because, how could they all be wrong when experts tell them what to do and fellow politicians of the world share the vision! After all, isn’t it for the good of their country? Sorry, it isn’t. It only serves the power corrupted egos, the maniacs of self-indulgence. Besides, high numbers of supportive friends do not make something right or prove something to be true. It just means they believe in the same thing, true or not.

So, since we have a war of a very different kind of what we actually believe it to be, we sure have losers and winners, short and long term ones. Short term the industry of old is likely to come out of it well, already in waiting for more digging and toiling with increased fervour to make up for the losses they had, while venturing into the new fields where money can be made and, without the pesky climate change protesters, because the soldiers are back from war, glad to find work so they can feed their family; it will be as always, money makes money. The ones sent into battle are shaken and wounded but also subdued. The state power has been established; the right to protest no longer exists. All is well controlled and order reinstalled.

China sure will be on the winning side too, despite public sentiment and governments’ rhetoric. Even if the West should be able to get some of their manufacturing industries back on home soil, China will not be brought to its knees which may well have been the intention, listening to various political arguments. China has all it needs on technology, intelligence and resilience. Countries do rely big on them for big trading, not just a few factories here and there. The world already needs China more than China needs the world. It also does everything to win more countries over, looking successful, efficient, and capable of dealing with a crisis and hard times. It even gives a helping hand even now where needed. Though of course, this hand is an iron fist, but that seems for many rather admirable as it feeds into the herd mentality that believes a strong ruler guarantees the herd’s well-being.

The march to world dominance may have stalled a bit for all who are engaging in this game, not substantially though. This is the war that COV19 is used for. Sorry soldier, you are no more than the fly dangling in the spider’s web. So who are the losers? Well, do I really have to answer that question? I think not.
Life will never be the same as it was before the Corona Pandemic. The scars of what just happened are far too significant. Hopefully there is a change and hopefully, it will go the right direction, against all odds. But as far as the signs go, it leaves little room for optimism. “Sieg heil” the masses were shouting. It worked for a while but then there was no victory and certainly no salvation.