Reflections in times of a pandemic

Natural disasters oblige us time and time again to confront our vulnerability. After an earthquake, when trying to recover the most basic elements in order to survive, for a time we feel our smallness before the forces of Nature and we are grateful just to be alive. We are conscious of our fragility as just another biological species, subject to the same natural forces and laws as any other.
But it seems that our essence as Homo sapiens also drives us time and time again to move away from this truth and begin once again to believe we can control nature, that we have all the answers and if we don’t have them right now, we will find them soon enough.
The tiny new corona virus that has paralyzed a large part of the world now obliges us to question this assumption of superiority. At Katalapi Park, surrounded by the complex and marvelous native forest, it seems clear to us that what we humans need is more humility. The word “humility” has the same root as “hummus”, that is, “of the earth”.
We firmly believe in the scientific method as a tool to understand our world, but true science is humble before all that it doesn’t know and doesn’t understand. The essence of science is to accept our ignorance and uncertainty. It is human societies which demand and proclaim “certain” answers.
Evidence suggests that viruses appeared in the planet millions of years ago, but the details of their origins are not clear. It appears that within our bodies there are viruses which assist in important processes. And, of course, there are viruses which hurt and can kill us.
We hope that all our collaborators, students, and friends are healthy and safe, we hope you have the possibility to take advantage of at least some moments of this time of quarantine to get close to nature with humility and awe.  This comment was first published in the Newsletter N°24, March 2020