The
virus which originated in Wuhan, China, in December 2019 has spread around the
globe sending billions of people into lockdown as healthcare workers struggle
to cope. On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization categorised COVID-19
as a pandemic. As at 10.07 p.m. April 12, 2020, there has been 1,833,685 confirmed
cases, 420,917 have recovered, 113,296 deaths, thousands more fighting for
their lives in hospitals worldwide and the figures keep changing.
Consideration
of the spiritual aspect of this monumental episode led to the recognition that the
real germ causing the continuous global catastrophes including this pandemic is
the germ of disobedience to the laws of the Almighty which man has reared over
thousands of years.
How
did the germ of disobedience and wrong way of living cause a disease now
terrorising mankind? Where is the link?
Before
we proceed, I wish to enter a caveat here. Indeed, we should all be remorseful,
sober and humble at this time with our eyes turned upwards in humble
supplication. And since the earth-shaking repercussions of our past are still
ongoing worldwide, the present answer may not be considered complete and conclusive.
Events
on earth follow a natural course, made possible through the Law of the Working
of Creation, bringing us the experiences we need at this time for our redemption,
for purification, or for our advancement.
Man
is endowed with the power to shape his own earthly conditions with the all-pervading
Power of the Creator. Just as in the life of every individual, the spiritual
aspirations, thoughts, words and deeds that dominates amongst mankind are
capable of shaping subsequent global events and conditions. The consequences of man’s activities will
react on him when the time for it is ripe and these consequences are always
similar to the preceding human actions. Since the general conditions and the
happenings on earth are the precipitation of the world of thought forms that
surrounds us, we can understand that thoughts and acts of love will bring peace
and thoughts of envy and hate will bring similarly evil outcomes. The
consequences of every thought and action will exert their force on man for good
or evil through his circumstances, his environment, or directly on his body.
To
illustrate the effect mankind has on what happens in this world, let us picture
to ourselves a potter sitting at his wheel with the clay that can be moulded
into any shape. The potter’s wheel operates independently with the power of an
engine. The potter applies the pressure of his fingers and his artistic talents
to mould the clay placed on the wheel as it rotates thereby creating shapes of
pots, dishes, mugs, vases, and other types of artwork of his choice. Depending
on the pressure exacted by the potter’s fingers, the shapes may turn out beautiful,
plain or ugly. That is exactly how the human spirit works in this world! Man,
whose core is spirit, is capable of impressing its desires upon certain
animistic (the substantiate) which then shapes matter. For man, the animistic
is the finger that exercises the pressure according to the spiritual decisions
of man, and the clay is the material physical substance while the movement of
the potter’s wheel is like the automatic movements of the laws of creation
which drives everything formed by man’s deep inner wishes towards development
and manifestation. Therefore, the wishes of the human spirit are answerable for
much that develops on earth. Man’s desires, his thinking and his actions take
on form and becomes visible on earth through the mechanism of this world and
his ignorance of this does not alter the effect.
A
quick look at the predominant thoughts of men over thousands of years reveal
that in the main, instead of engaging in good, loving, and peaceful thoughts,
the thoughts favoured by the majority of men and their leaders are those of distrust,
envy, hatred, greed and wickedness. Some world leaders precipitate needless wars
and enrich themselves at the expense of their countries. Many followers
secretly admire such leaders, and in turn think of how to cheat and harm their
fellow men or enviously take for themselves what belongs to another.
Talking
of wars in the context of our subject, we need to mention here the use of
bio-weapons in warfare. Even in the olden days, elementary forms of biological
warfare were practiced. Thus, one of the earliest documented cases of the
intention to use biological weapons is recorded in Hittite texts of 1500–1200
BC, in which victims of tularaemia (an infectious disease) were driven into enemy
lands, causing an epidemic.
In
modern times, fingers have been pointed at Japan and Britain for having made
plans to use plague as bio-weapon at one time or the other. The US President,
Richard Nixon terminated the production of biological weapons only just before
the emergence of the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention in 1972. However, the Soviet Union continued research
and production of massive offensive biological weapons and to this day at least
nine countries are still suspected (not proven) to possess offensive bioweapon
programs.
Let
us now consider briefly the attributes of viruses. According to the National
Human Genome Research Institute a United States Research body, a virus is an
infectious agent that occupies a place near the boundary between living and the
non-living. They are sub microscopic and can be described as parasitic as they
can only survive inside a host cell in order to survive and replicate, thereby
harming the host. Virologists say that you should think of the interaction
between the virus and your body as a war. This battle can cause all sorts of
problems in the body. Depending on the virus and its location, inflammation,
fever, mucus and more can occur and in the case of COVID-19 the lungs can be
affected leading in the extreme to mortalities.
Are
there any similarities between the way viruses operate and the actions of men?
Is it not the case that many men through their greed and materialism are just
like parasites? If viruses precipitate wars on entering the human body, is this
not an imitation of the attitude of the majority of men who are coarse, lack
consideration for others and cause disharmony everywhere they go? Today, a virus is at war with the entire
world population, as all of us are affected in one way or another.
The
basic answer to our question therefore is that if mankind’s former actions
require that a global pandemic should break out in reciprocity, then the
inflexible weaving of Creation is bound to bring about the natural conditions
that will give rise to it! Once man has called for it in thought and action, the
animistic takes it up and ensures that these desires manifest in the material
world, for good or evil just as man has desired earlier on. Perhaps a study of how
past pandemics start can help us make a link of how the non-observance of
creation laws can bring about disease to bring us back to our senses.
During the final months of World War
I, the Spanish flu broke out and historians now believe that the conflict may
have been partly responsible for the spread. Some report that the men in the
Western Front were cramped together in dirty and damp conditions. Coupled with
low immunity and malnourishment, the men got sick. The sickness spread
worldwide, 500 million were infected and the death toll is estimated to
have been anywhere from 17 million to 50 million, and possibly as
high as 100 million. If the higher figure is accurate
then this pandemic killed more people than the two World Wars put together. Another
factor in this occurrence was falsehood and denial by governments, leaving
people ill-prepared to handle the outbreaks. This is a clear example of a disease
bringing home the repercussions of engaging in a war based in part on distrust
and imperialism, living in unhygienic conditions and lies at top governance
levels. The little cause: infection of some soldiers led to a great effect: a tragic
pandemic.
Another little cause, great effect
examples worth mentioning are the unwholesome interaction between man and
animal, eating animals that intuitively we should not consume and eating raw
meat, uncooked poultry and raw seafood. These can lead to the transmission of
disease-causing pathogens from animals to humans. Some researchers are
suggesting that the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which is the cause of the current
Covid-19 pandemic, might have been transmitted from animal to man. Same has
been said concerning HIV.
Let
it be noted that the little causes such as the ones mentioned above may not spiral
to having global effects unless such a large-scale retribution is due in
accordance to the creation laws. But when a global reciprocal action is due, a
small cause might suddenly snowball to having a tremendous effect! When the
time comes when the effect of the evil thoughts that have come to reality falls
back on their originators, then retribution will first of all strike those who
through their thinking had been producers and constant supporters. However, it
is inevitable that this destructive rebounding force will also touch wider
groups of people and affect even those who only have tendencies similar to that
of the real wrongdoers.
All
said, we may wish to attach a deeper significance to the precautionary measures
prescribed for us to avoid infection. Let us isolate and tear ourselves away
from all base thoughts. As we wash our hands let us engage them for noble deeds
and as we practise social distancing let us voluntarily offer each other
respect, compassion and understanding. We can make the best of the present
circumstances by embracing an attitude of remorse for our past wrong doing, agreeing
to make a permanent change for the good and resolving to come out of this
experience stronger, unassuming and ready to mediate only love, happiness and
peace to our neighbours.
