In October 1347, as many as 12 merchant ships from Genoa anchored in the port of Messina in Sicily, Italy, after crossing the Black Sea. Many sailors on the ships died, their bodies studded with black bubbles.
By
YUDI LATIF
·5 minutes read
In October 1347, as many as 12 merchant ships from Genoa anchored in the port of Messina in Sicily, Italy, after crossing the Black Sea. Many sailors on the ships died, their bodies studded with black bubbles. The disease was then called the Black Death. The Sicilian authorities were late in preventing the ships from docking. As a result, over the next five years, the European continent was struck by a pandemic of bubonic plague that wiped out about one-third of its population.
Losing many inhabitants, once-crowded continent became sparsely populated. Villagers were able to control more land. The availability of arable land along with the scarcity of labor turned the people away from the slavery system. To cultivate new land, farmers borrowed land. To cultivate new land, farmers borrowed money. Church authorities began to tolerate loan interest. All that brought prosperity to Europe. Part of their incomes was invested in technological innovations. The era after the Black Death marked the great progress of technological development. Francis Bacon marked this with the presence of gunpowder, a printing press and a compass. These developments paved the way for market expansion, which paved the way for the birth of the nation state and the industrial revolution.
As a result, there is always a bright side to the dark. The word crisis comes from the Greek crisis (noun) or krino (verb), which means “draw a line” or “turning point”. In Mandarin, the equivalent is Wei-ji. Wei means “danger”, while ji means “opportunity”. In the dark moment of catastrophic danger, there is always a bright opportunity to draw the line between barbarism and civilization; as a turning point for the life advancement.
Truth and authenticity are often like stars that cannot be seen, except in the dark of the night. In the light of normal life, humans find it difficult to recognize the ultimate truth. The authenticity is disguised in ornaments and accessories of appearances. When dark times come, then we can recognize what is truly true, which is false. If we are not sure of the original character of a person or a nation, wait until the dark comes: there we can recognize the real character.
Thus, behind the threat of death and global panic caused by the new coronavirus pandemic, we can recognize the dark side and the bright side of life. When the new coronavirus ambushed, Chinese citizens closed ranks, cheering on one another, "Wuhan, you can do it!" South Korean artists donated some of their wealth. Italian citizens fly the flag from the window of the house. United States conglomerates did not miss donating to fund coronavirus vaccine research.
Conversely, in this country fellow citizens criticize each other. The sharp increase in the demand for maskers has fueled the desire to hoard and enrich themselves. Leaders take each other to the stage, with opposing views. Serious problems are overlooked or faced with overacting. There is no strong dock that can be used as a mooring for millions of sinking boats. Problems are dealt with patchy management.
There is no anticipatory mechanism and integrated handling scheme. The mutual cooperation that is stated in Pancasila is torn by power lust. Political morals fall to its nadir, when disaster becomes an arena to gain popularity and fishing in murky water. Luckily, the bright side still emerges from the heroism of philanthropic institutions, medical personnel and religious organizations for their preventive actions and services.
For those who are mindful, the coronavirus can be a reminder that humans are not greedy, limiting consumption of good and healthy food. Reducing activity in public spaces gives nature the chance to recover from pollution and exploitation. Returning home can also strengthen family bonds and social solidarity.
At least for basic commodities, we must fight for food sovereignty.
Limiting transportation and international trade to prevent the transmission of the coronavirus makes us realize the need to create new opportunities. For a country that is so vast and has a large population, it is too risky to rely on basic needs and only on imports. In a crisis, it is felt that food security alone is inadequate because it cannot guarantee the ability to survive. At least for basic commodities, we must fight for food sovereignty.
The crisis can be a turning point. The principle that anything can be bought cannot be maintained. With this philosophy, we will not be able to improve the knowledge economy, with the ability to add value to science and technology for our resources. Without our own efforts to produce with our own technology, we will continue to experience a trade balance deficit and will not be able to develop prosperity.
The coronavirus disruption also gives us a clear mindset to end the tendency for routine financing and costly development projects. In difficult moments like this, it is not the right time to realize a “lighthouse” project. We must reconsider the plan to relocate the capital city if we cannot finance with the move with our own resources and without the burden of debt. That is the black-and-white of the coronavirus’ impact, which can offer an assortment of paths so that we can emerge from the darkness of disaster and move toward the light of hope.