2020 – The flood of the new Coronavirus has caused a global pandemic and worldwide catastrophe. Hospitals are overwhelmed with the sick, governments are enforcing self-isolation and the economy is heading towards a recession.
Times of panic, instability and chaos elicit strong emotions and wild speculations; some think the pandemic is China’s fault since the virus first appeared there, and some take matters into their own hands.
Others believe the virus is a biological warfare or perhaps a gigantic secret plot arranged by world elites. The actions of the people and governments are watched in scrutiny and fingers are pointing in all directions.
While people blame each other, I find it wise to revisit the past. Pandemics of infectious diseases have been periodically wiping out significant portions of the population since the beginning of recorded history.
Timeline from https://www.visualcapitalist.com/history-of-pandemics-deadliest/
Marseille during the outbreak of a pandemic in 1720 by Michel Serre
There were many more pandemics, and many are found in all sorts of literature.
Before the common era, pandemics also known as plagues were often recorded in epic poems such as Homer’s Iliad, where Apollo, the god of Protection and Affliction, sends a deadly plague upon the Greeks.
Or in religious works, such as the bible, where God instructs Moses to toss sooth in the air which will cause a plague;
“Take handfuls of soot from a furnace and have Moses toss it into the air in the presence of Pharaoh. 9 It will become fine dust over the whole land of Egypt, and festering boils will break out on people and animals throughout the land.”
Whether or not these specific events occurred is unclear, however, the knowledge of plagues was clearly present.
Examining history, it is clear that there is a pattern of recurring pandemics stretching back to ancient times, and despite advances in science and technology, there seems to be no abating.
There are also mythologies on natural disasters from around the world which seem to suggest that cycles of absolute disorder, such as those experienced during a pandemic are part of the human experience, and that they may not be something we could ever escape from… but perhaps are something that is needed and even merited.
Men vs. Nature
Ancient Native Americans believed that there is a cycle of action and reaction, between men and nature.
A Cherokee myth tells how men were once upon a time living harmoniously with animals. But one day, the humans got too numerous and powerful and treated them very poorly. The animals had a meeting and decided that the way to bring balance back is to infest men with diseases.
Most of the pandemics are scientifically known to have originated in animals.
Pandora’s Jar
But our doom is not our end.
A well-known mythology told by the Greek poet Hesiod tells how Pandora, the first woman on earth, was forbidden to open the lid of a certain jar. Her curiosity got the best of her, so she opened the jar, allowing all of the evils of the world to come out, including disease, plagues, and chaos. Sounds familiar?
There was something else at the bottom of the jar… hope.
Pandora by Dante Gabriel Rossetti at the Lady Lever Art Gallery
Flood Myths
Hope can be seen as the rebirth or renewal, which could only be achieved through the destruction of the old. Rebirth and renewal following the destruction of the old is best exemplified by the myth of the flood that destroyed the world, save for a boat full of animals.
I know you know what Myth I’m talking about, Ok on the count of three, 1, 2, 3: UTNAPISTHIM!
Oh, you said Arc of Noah… hmm…
Well, you’re not wrong, the two are essentially identical, only the story of Utnapishtim was part of an ancient Mesopotamian poem written on a clay tablet between 3000-2000 BC. Way before the recording of Arc of Noah (1400-500 BC)
In the story, the assembly of gods planned to create a devastating flood that would wipe everything out. One of the gods, Enki, upon hearing their devise, decided to save a worthy man, Utnapisthim. In a discrete way, he urged him to build a ship with specific measurements, and to bring along his family and the seeds of all animals. Utnapisthim obeyed the instructions and named the boat “The Preserver of Life”. In 7 days, the flood destroyed everything. As it subsided, it rested on Mount Nisir for 7 days. Utnapisthim sent off a dove, then a swallow and then a Raven. The latter didn’t come back proving that it must have found land. Utnapisthim made offerings to the gods, and repopulated the earth.
Clay tablet of ancient Mesopotamian Flood myth from the Epic of Gilgamesh.
From the Library of Ashurbanipal II at Nineveh.
Image: Osama Shukir Muhammed Amin FRCP(Glasg)
Noah’s Ark by Edward Hicks at Philadelphia Museum of Art
In the Hindu flood myth, king Shraddhadeva was ordered by the giant fish Matsya, an avatar of the god Shiva, to build a boat. When the deadly flood came, the fish led the boat containing the king’s family and 7 sages to safety, on a mountain. From here, they repopulated the earth.
Myths of Deluge like these are countless and found in almost every culture, albeit various degrees of similarity; like the Great Flood of Gun-Yu, an ancient Chinese myth, or the Native American flood myths. The main concept is destruction as a means of cleansing and rebirth.
Let’s Break Down Some of the Flood Themes
The gods (or god) decide to wipe out humanity
This represents the will of nature; an inevitable all-powerful force, independent from the wishes of men.
Men who are so used to control their land, nature and each other, will now have to face something outside of their control, and of course, outside of their league.
Plagues have been attributed to the gods because of their indiscriminate nature that affect all human beings. No one is exempt; rich, poor, weak, strong, young and old. This is a time where all social classes are reduced to one; mere humans.
The measure of destruction is a flood
The main component of a flood is water.
Water represents life or creation. But like most divinity, it has a dual force; it represents destruction as well.. this destruction cleanses and renews as water also symbolizes cleansing and fertility.
The gods spare a family, by helping them escape the incoming deluge (or flood)
This is the hope and blueprint from which the new can be built upon.
The template for the rebirth – Noah, Unapisthim or the King Shraddhadeva is the hope residing in the Pandora jar. They are the seed of order that remains during the time of chaos; the seed will regrow into full bloom to replace the chaos, and will turn into the new order.
This is what the dots from the Yin Yang symbol represent; a state always contains the seed of its opposite; this seed is the precursor to the newly changed state.
Obeying god’s instructions
The following of God’s instructions shows the concept of humility and submission that men must take in the face of nature. Since the time they knew how to make fire, men have been the species that rule the planet. Men control nature through agriculture, industrialization, production… They control all sorts of things, even each other.
But no one order remains forever.
Because men seek to establish a life of control and stability, a time of instability and loss of control must occur, where nature is in control, and men must endure. Men will be tamed by nature and… will tame nature once again.
The flood takes place and chaos ensues
Flood is the turbulent influx of water and represents not just destruction, but crisis and chaos.
As we know, no state can remain forever. Yin will turn into Yang and Yang into Yin. Life turns into death. Low tides, to high tides. The political colours of a nation also change. There is no right or wrong. It’s just part of nature.
These shifts don’t happen out of thin air, there has to be a “trigger”. That “trigger” is chaos, which belongs to another category of yin yang. Something can be Yin in one category, but Yang in another.
Order promotes maintenance of the state, but chaos creates change in the state.
Chaos is the result of pandemics. The larger the pandemic, the larger the chaos, the higher the potential for change.
History has shown time and again that after a pandemic, rebirth and reform take place, be it socially, economically or culturally. After the 14thcentury Bubonic plague ravaged the European population down to half, there were more demand for farming work, and of course less people to provide it, causing a fairer shift in labour cost.
Basically there was more justice and the standard of living increased.
Reforms also took place from a psychological point of view; because the rich and powerful were not spared from the deadly effects of the pandemic, the poor felt a sense of power and had more confidence to fight for their rights.
The Deluge by Francis Danby. Presented by the Friends of the Tate Gallery
Chaos creates change but chaos also reveals. Revelation and change are related.
Chaos is a time of ultimate pressure, a time of fight-or-flight, a time where our primitive instincts are at their highest. It is here that humans are put to the test. There is a battle between the man’s animalistic side and his spiritual side, buddhahood or godhood. Heroism of groups and individuals are put to the test.
True colours come out during dark times; the bad will exploit and take, and the good will sacrifice and give.
They say that if you want to know if you’re in the right relationship, go on a vacation because that’s when there is no routine or structure; anything that can go wrong will most likely go wrong. It’s a test of your teamwork. Just like a relationship is tested during hardships, humanity is tested during pandemics.
When the calamity is over, the boat, or the seed of life, rests on a mountain.
The mountain has been seen as the abode of the gods in most ancient mythologies. It has a strong affiliation to God as it touches the heavens, where men can’t. Reaching the top of the mountain is synonymous with overcoming a hurdle and coming closer to wisdom. The boat landing on the mountain shows that God or nature has done its deed.
So, to summarize these lessons
- Pandemics are an example of the periodic chaos and destruction that humanity experiences in order for rebirth, growth and/or reform to take place.
- The flood myth of Noah, Utnapishtim and King Shraddhadeva remind us that men’s actions are countered by nature. Triggers ensure it’s only a matter of time until nature retakes control over men, teaching him lessons along the way, lessons of humility, self-reflection and compassion.
- The wrath of nature does destroy, but also has mercy; nature will always spare Noah, the seed of hope found in Pandora’s box. And Noah will once again bring along the animals which…. ensures the perpetual cycle.
But for now, let’s focus on the day we rest on that mountain and see the rainbow. That day will come but we must first overcome the deluge of COVID-19.
So, let our wisdom be the Noah.
This is the time to prove ourselves better than our instincts of greed, hate, ignorance and megalomania. Instead of pointing fingers at others, let’s self-reflect and look up to one another because we’re all connected and all have a part in this. We are all suffering from the same thing, and this should bring us closer together, not further apart.
Let our wisdom be the Noah and let’s ask ourselves: “Are my actions alleviating the pain that the world is going through?”
“Unity is the only option we have to defeat this virus. COVID-19 is reminding us how vulnerable we are, how connected we are, and how dependent we are on each other. In the eye of a storm like COVID, scientific and public health tools are essentials, but so are humility and kindness. With solidarity, humility and assuming the best of each, we can and we will overcome this together.”
– Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, W.H.O
Additional Sources & Further Reading
- Mason, Herbert (2003) GILGAMESH – A Verse Narrative. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
- Ferry, David (1993 ) GILGAMESH: A New Rendering in English Verse. New York, NY: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
- Hersh, Thomas (2016) THE MOUNTAIN ARCHETYPE: A Psychological Approach. Newfane, VT: ath,plc (https://www.researchgate.net/publication/317369452_The_Mountain_Archetype_A_Psychological_Approach)
- Maria Trimarchi “Was there really a great flood?” 14 July 2008. HowStuffWorks.com. <https://science.howstuffworks.com/nature/climate-weather/storms/great-flood.htm> 13 April 2020
- David R. Montgomery “Geomythology: Can geologists relate ancient stories of great floods to real events?” August 4, 2016. The Conversation. https://theconversation.com/geomythology-can-geologists-relate-ancient-stories-of-great-floods-to-real-events-63434
- Lennlee Keep “A flood of myths and stories” February 14, 2020. PBS.org. https://www.pbs.org/independentlens/blog/a-flood-of-myths-and-stories/
- On water symbolism
- “Archetypes”. https://www.athenscsd.org/userfiles/37/Classes/970/archetypes.pdf?id=1941
- http://www2.hawaii.edu/~davink/MYTHOLOGY%20CLASS/WATER/waterindex.html
- “A look at the social effects of the black death”. Bright Hub Education. https://www.brighthubeducation.com/history-homework-help/88775-social-effects-of-the-black-death/
IMAGE SOURCES
(Most images were referenced on the video itself. Below are the images that weren’t or that require further credentials)
Chinese flood myth – http://www.harvardsh.org/news/2016/8/10/chinas-great-flood-not-a-myth
Articles of good and bad deads during COVID-19
https://globalnews.ca/news/6769462/asian-family-attacked-coronavirus-hate-crime/
https://torontolife.com/food/last-night-we-handed-out-food-in-nathan-phillips-square-this-catering-chef-is-making-30000-meals-for-hungry-people-and-paying-out-of-pocket/?fbclid=IwAR02FOhLPmJZ9ERYtl-bozMtQGn0nUdga8Yf_jCWJorv4mF7fTRpUxX0ko0
https://www.newsweek.com/canadian-couple-made-over-70000-reselling-lysol-wipes-amazon-inflated-prices-1492307
https://globalnews.ca/news/6723885/italian-priest-gives-up-ventilator/
Racism against Asians
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ba2E0XI5ZyE
https://www.ctvnews.ca/health/east-asian-student-assaulted-in-racist-coronavirus-attack-in-london-1.4838325
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VzUzM_7O–s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1O44SdDtIH0
https://kmph.com/news/local/vandal-tags-fresno-asian-american-family-car-with-racist-graffiti-related-to-coronavirus
Asian market
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B1_uTTCS8yM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IVmlEMEHLJc
Empty streets and parks
https://www.cnet.com/how-to/when-will-the-coronavirus-quarantine-end-where-can-you-go-in-lockdown-and-stay-at-home-order/
Animals on empty streets
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GwzZPPSTlsE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YbTh8-qI8fE
https://www.thelocal.fr/20200317/in-pictures-paris-streets-deserted-after-coronavirus-confinement-comes-into-force
Street cleaning
https://www.businessinsider.com/pandemics-that-changed-the-course-of-human-history-coronavirus-flu-aids-plague#coronavirus-or-covid-19-2019-present-11
Pigeons in air
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=67BOwpNqOW8
Biological Warfare
https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/chemical-and-biological-warfare-major-threat-in-the-21st-century.html
War on masks
https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/03/europe/coronavirus-masks-war-intl/index.html
Under pressure (guns, divorce, fake remedy)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CISu2TLlqKI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gWqPb-3Pu9I
https://www.cp24.com/world/almost-500-people-have-died-in-iran-after-drinking-methanol-to-protect-against-covid-19-1.4870699
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-03-31/divorces-spike-in-china-after-coronavirus-quarantines?utm_source=twitter&utm_content=business&cmpid=socialflow-twitter-business&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=socialflow-organic
Crowds during COVID-19
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n4YrOayiCDA
Hospitals
https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/italy-has-world-class-health-system-coronavirus-has-pushed-it-n1162786
Faces with masks
https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/nurses-unions-warn-federal-standards-for-coronavirus-protection-too-low
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/patient-from-brighton-becomes-third-person-in-britain-to-be-diagnosed-with-coronavirus-zp8lpccdl
https://www.forbes.com/sites/josephcoughlin/2020/02/04/coronavirus-global-aging–how-future-contagions-may-affect-your-life-in-retirement/#5ca5c2844bb0
https://www.wantedinrome.com/news/italys-doctors-and-nurses-performing-miracles-says-who.html
https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/13-new-coronavirus-cases-two-more-deaths-iran
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/apr/04/how-to-talk-to-older-people-coronavirus-stay-home
https://www.thestar.com/news/world/us/2020/04/02/trump-admin-moves-toward-promoting-broader-use-of-face-masks.html
https://www.deccanherald.com/national/south/coronavirus-after-2-more-tested-covid-19-positive-total-case-in-kerala-rises-to-16-813136.html
https://jerseyeveningpost.com/news/uk-news/2020/04/06/covid-19-face-masks-may-help-protect-some-households-and-the-vulnerable/
W.H.O. briefing
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2v3vlw14NbM
