Dinosaurs

WE already know that one possible explanation why dinosaurs became extinct is that they failed to adapt to the cataclysmic transformations that were happening around them — from erupting volcanoes to massive earthquakes brought about by moving continental plates. Another cause offered for the terrifying geological disruptions was that Earth was bombarded by giant meteors. Dinosaurs ruled on the basis of their size, but this became a liability. What survived the geological holocaust were the smaller, more agile critters, and not the mighty Tyrannosaurus

Rex that once ruled the planet. They, and the rest of their kind, ceased to exist.

At present, we are facing what can be considered as the equivalent of a giant meteor hurtling toward us, in the form of an unseen virus that has already infected millions and killed hundreds of thousands. And the writing is already on the wall. That if we cannot quickly adapt and move to deal with its terrifying presence, we may just suffer the same fate as the dinosaurs.

This is no longer the time to keep working on the basis of our dominant assumptions, and to weigh our options based on the usual, hoping that soon this too shall pass, and we can all go back to our normal routine. This coronavirus pandemic is radically transforming our “lifescapes,” and even our landscapes. It is disrupting our institutions, as it destabilizes the stable and unsettles the settled. Even science is unraveling, as it is becoming obvious that even experts are confounded by the unknowns that are associated with the novel coronavirus that is causing the pandemic. Comfort zones are being breached, knowledge and doctrines are being challenged, and expertise is being undermined.

In these times of ferment and uncertainty, people cannot just hibernate and ride out the pandemic by hermetically sealing themselves in their quarantined homes. This is not a harsh winter where after the bitter cold comes the certainty of spring. This is an unknown phase in the history of human civilization that transforms and alters, and we don’t even have any complete idea or understanding of what comes after.

We hear parents declaring that they would not be sending their children to school, with one education manager even writing an opinion piece telling parents that it is fine to suspend their children’s education because the alternative is death. Thus, what is now propagated is a view that the only best way to adapt to this pandemic is to hide.

Hiding and barricading oneself in what is presumed to be the safety of one’s home is a natural response when one is afraid. But at least there is an acceptance of the unknown that should be avoided and feared. What is worse is when people still cling to the rubrics and frameworks that they have been used to, as if they are certain about the morning that comes after this viral disruption. We see people still fixated on long- term planning as if it would matter, when what should be preferred are chaos theory and scenarios, and not models and plans. We hear