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by SiempreViernes 1927 days ago
One year into a worldwide pandemic affecting every aspect of life and you have a hard time finding examples of really bad things not caused by human? That's some committed misanthropy, I got to give you that.
4 comments

The virus either originated in a human lab (unlikely) or jumped cross-species in an environment created by humans (exotic animal markets with poor hygiene controls). So...yeah this one is kinda on us.
The jury’s out on whether this one was our own fault too.

Maybe we made it in a lab, or even if we didn’t, maybe we should have been much smarter about preventing or containing it.

It’s not like an alien virus we never predicted and can’t understand. Experts had been warning about this exact thing for years.

> maybe we should have been much smarter about preventing or containing it.

That doesn't mean humans were responsible for the pandemic, though. That means humanity might bear responsibility for not as effectively containing the pandemic.

If an asteroid strikes the earth, and causes a mass casualty event that doesn't mean humans caused the asteroid strike (even if we maybe should have invested more in preventing the asteroid strike).

I think it's reasonable to expect more effective human preventative measures, without confusing the disaster for ones caused by human activity.

Is a virus a problem or is it a new challenge for humanity to take on, just as our understanding of molecular biology has become ready to address it? I respect the loss of people just as I respect the loss of all who have gone before, soldiers, explorers, pioneers, even those who did not intend risk but lived unknowingly under risk that existed nonetheless.

These “problems” are opportunities to serve.

Naw, even the mildest and laziest of misanthropes could find reasons to blame humanity for the pandemic and all its effects. Commitment not required.