No, we are not living in unprecedented times. Unprecedented is defined as “never done or known before.”⁣
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If we had a better relationship with the past and if we honoured our Inner Historian, we’d know that a global pandemic, like the one we’re experiencing now, has happened before. ⁣
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Just over a 100 yrs ago, our ancestors faced a highly contagious virus that stalked humanity globally for two years.⁣ What started in 1918 as a flu that travelled with soldiers fighting in World War I became a global pandemic, killing an estimated 17 to 50 million people worldwide. source

Schools, libraries, and churches were closed.⁣ Government officials pleaded with citizens to practice Social Distancing.⁣ There were worries about the economy.⁣ There was talk about getting back to normal as quickly as possible.⁣
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Even in 1918, the global pandemic wasn’t unprecedented because one hit 100 years earlier in the 1818.⁣
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Maybe we can call the times we’re going through strange.⁣ Unusual.⁣ Unpredictable.⁣ Weird.

I was reminded that there are factors influencing the 2019 global pandemic that are unprecedented. For example, here’s what one follower said in the comments on the original post:

⁣I absolutely agree. Although human behaviour is rather consistent, there are military, religious, intellectual, economic, financial, technical, medical, scientific, social, cultural, and political factors that bring an unprecedented feel to what’s happening.

And yet, if you’re a student of the past, you’d know that this event has happened before with small variances.⁣
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And…⁣
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If you’re a student of the past, you’d activate your Inner Historian to find out how our ancestors moved beyond what they went through.⁣
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The lessons are not pretty.⁣ Nor are they glamourous.⁣ And, as you research, what you find may scare you shitless.⁣
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And…⁣
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The past contains the answers you seek. ⁣As #MalcolmX once wrote: