跟一个美国朋友聊新冠疫情

Hi Albert,

Sorry to hear that you are suffering from the pain in the knee. How did you get it dislocated? I hope you get the proper treatment and fully recover.

The pandemic is under control in China, with sporadic cases reported daily, mostly imported. Business after business is reopening, and many things are going back to normal. I have been working from home for nearly three months, and it has worked out. The work pattern will be likely to stick even after this thing is over.

The coronavirus has thrown a monkey wrench into the whole world. Few saw this coming and even fewer were prepared for the unfortunate event. As of now, over 2.6m people worldwide have contracted the virus, with 183,000 casualties (of course, the number keeps going up). Doctors, nurses, and other first responders everywhere are rushing to save lives. Instead of keeping cool-headed and focusing on addressing the problem, however, politicians in some countries are pointing fingers at others. Some take to Twitter and engage in an uncivilized exchange of censure. 

Many effects are yet to be felt, I mean international relations and economic globalization in the post-COVID-19 world. The trade war between China and the US has halted, but it has in reality escalated into a full-scale confrontation. Distrust is widespread. Fear is the driver. I am not sure how exactly the bilateral relations between the two biggest economies in the world will fare, but let's hope that out of practicality, if not good faith, they will resolve the differences and come together for the common good.

Humans are silly in some ways. We have attached special meaning to the year 2020, a year supposedly symbolizing a new decade and fresh start, looking forward to an eventful and fruitful year, only to wake up in the dark abyss of this apocalyptic chaos only imaginable in sci-fis, disoriented, stupefied, petrified, dejected, lost. Hige hopes have translated into a deep disappointment. Nightmares have replaced dreams. We are duped. 

The world as we know it has gone, for sure. But retrospectively maybe it's not entirely a bad thing. History is full of highs and lows, and the low lows can give rise to high highs. I remember reading The World in 2019, a special issue by The Economist, where Steven Pinker and Yuval Noah Harari both expressed their optimism for the future. I hope their predictions still hold, and that the future will be W-shaped, if not V-shaped or U-shaped. 

Stay safe and healthy, my brother. 

Lots of love,

Justin  

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P.S. I befriend Albert during a retreat in a monastery in Arizona. A native of Texas, he is a prodigy, valedictorian, and spent some time in Japan as a Zen Buddist. He is an engineer by training and meditates daily. 

P.P.S. Click “阅读原文” to read Steven Pinker's thoughts on the future. 

P.P.P.S. 公众号搜索改进了，点击下面这里搜索我写过的文章：

孟庆伟 Justin

个人微信 ID：justinqmeng

现象级英语联合创始人

《经济学人》11 年研究者

雅思写作 8 分，口语 8 分

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题图：Ryan Blanding, Flickr

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