This morning I had a video meeting with a few dozen friends all around the world, from far-away places like Bali, Malaysia, Brazil, Spain, Sweden, Germany, Italy, Newfoundland, England, Guatemala, and many other places. Much of the conversation, as all conversations seem to do now, revolved around the handling of the virus.

Getting a perspective from folks around the world, and the different approaches, was enlightening to me. Here are few points of view:

Sweden – the lady from Sweden pointed out that there was no lockdown of any kind in Sweden, and things were going along ok. We discussed that the demographics of a comparatively small country are very different than those of the United States. The population of Sweden is about 10 million people, the density is 24.7 people per square kilometer. The county of Los Angeles has a population of about 10 million also, with a density of 2910 people per square kilometer. That’s a hundred times denser. New York City’s density is over 10,000 people per square kilometer. That’s 300 times denser than Sweden. When the right wing media in the United States suggests that since things worked in Sweden without any lockdown, it’s a ludicrous comparison when talking about a highly infectious disease. My Swedish friend also pointed out that the Swedish people, for the most part, were self-isolating as suggested, without being forced to do so.

Spain – One of our friends is a Spanish physician with a private practice. He said he is basically wearing an “astronaut” suit all day, and his office manager was scheduling patients every 30 minutes, so there is never more than one patient in the office. The receptionist goes to the parking lot to pick up the next patient when ready. He said that you needed a special pass to leave the house, unless going to work, and you only got it once a week for a period of time to go grocery shopping. The fine for having two people in one car is 600 Euros.

Italy – They need permission to leave the house for essential trips. In some places they even have mobile apps that grant this permission.

Brazil – The streets are empty. The virus is pretty bad. Even the warm weather has not dampened it as some factions in the United States have been hoping it might.

Florida – Our friend in Florida pointed out that more people were out walking the streets than ever before. I see that here in California, too. If I work out in my front yard, there is a constant stream of people walking the neighborhood, many with their dogs. Of course, there is nothing else to do, you’ve got to get out of the house, and you pick an activity that is legal (at least here in California and Florida) and enjoy.

Bali – everything is empty and quiet. The population density is high and people are scared.

Germany – some businesses are now opening up again. The curve in Germany is starting to ease off.

Never before in my lifetime have I seen such unity around the world. We’re all the same people with the same needs. We are all smart and we’re doing the best we can to work together to defeat this disease and come out on the other side healthy and stronger. The disease doesn’t have anything to do with languages, races, religions, countries, even continents. It makes people sick indiscriminately and it seems to kill 5 to 10 percent of those who get sick. It’s a pretty simple enemy.

I have two main thoughts triggered from this:

War – what good is it?

The current United States is still waging war in far away countries. It makes no sense to me. Leave people alone. Why don’t we stop the stupid sanctions of Iran, let the people of Iran have some relief. Good grief, they have enough on their hands  with 90,000 cases of Covid-19 and 5,620 deaths. I am hopeful that the pandemic might help stop wars altogether going forward. The most warlike nation in the world is definitely the United States. I have a vote here. I will vote accordingly.

Climate Change – a common enemy

Just like the pandemic, which kills across borders, a common enemy is climate change. It affects the whole world. It does not care what country caused it or continues to cause it. It does not care what countries it floods. It does not care what natural disasters is causes and where. It will affect our water supply, our food supply, it’ll make some cities and entire countries unlivable, it’ll cause mass extinction of flora and fauna all over the world, no matter how much the current government in the United States thinks it’s “not real.”

Our response and eventual conquest of Covid-19 will not come from nationalist propaganda or competition. It’ll come from the whole world cooperating as best it can. German pharma scientists, Chinese manufacturers, American doctors, will all work together to defeat this common enemy of mankind. Let’s attack war and climate change together next.

I think I’ll go for a walk now!