There’s nothing quite like waking up from a deep slumber and realizing you’re stuck in the middle of a virulent pandemic which shows no sign of abating.

While we’ve all gone through the various stages of shock and awe and sadness and grief, there’s something to be said for those of us who continue to act as if nothing’s changed. I sometimes wonder if some of us prefer to indulge in a form of infantile denialism where we simply refuse to accept the stark reality unfolding before our very own eyes.

Even with rudderless governments clamoring for us to exercise social distancing and doing everything we can to flatten the dastardly curve, the latest indicators are such that we are failing miserably in even the most basic of efforts to stem the gruesome coronavirus tide.

And that’s left me wondering: why were we asleep at the wheel when so much information was provided far in advance about something so potentially disastrous to the future of our planet? Why did we forsake human foresight – you know, that magical part of the mind that allows us to anticipate trouble while circumnavigating our way out of it – why didn’t we listen?

But don’t you dare give up.

I suppose some of the answers are readily available. We are a stubborn lot, this modern day existence of social media and creature comforts and bigger burgers with same day Amazon deliveries. Instead of making sure that most of us were cared for and looked after during times of crisis, we had to wait until a major disaster to determine how woefully underprepared we were for something of this magnitude.

It’s true. In a world where we can’t find a way to broker middle-east peace or respect indigenous claims or protect children from tainted drinking water or eliminate systemic racism which continues to fester like a malignant tumour, what hope did we really have at successfully dealing with something so extraordinarily daunting and viciously foreboding to our very own existence?

And given the technological era we live in – one resplendent with countless ways to keep yourself entertained and preoccupied while being informed of every precious and excruciatingly irrelevant dew-drop of mortal consciousness, how is it that we so blithely ignored all the warning signs and continued charging over the cliff of ignorance like a pack of wild lemmings?

The numbers are swelling with little or no end in sight. Rumours continue to swirl about the possibility of a second wave of re-infection that might require shutting down countries for months with no end. The phrase “going under lockdown” might be bandied about fashionably for now but is a stunning indictment of our passive-aggressive response to this phenomenon and how easily we’re prepared to relinquish our rights and freedoms. Governments are using cyber-technology and eagerly deploying satellite tracking in ways that will all but eradicate whatever remains of your perception of privacy and security.

That’s the true legacy of this disease. It has and will change everything.

But don’t you dare give up.

Why? Because the human race has been through far worse. Imagine living through the Black Death (1347-1351) and witnessing Europe lose between 30-60% of its population. Or surviving the Flu Pandemic which killed nearly 100 million people AFTER one survived the first world war. And I’m certain you don’t need me to remind you of what transpired between 1941-1945 during the second.

These are all moments in time which produced adversity in the human condition like none other. And you owe it to yourself and your family’s history to get through this stronger than ever. Why? Because how we fight the perils of sickness now will set the example for how our next generation lives, and we owe it to them to show what true dignity and an indomitable spirit looks like in the face of real adversity.

I know many of you are overwhelmed with anxiety and uncertain of what the future will bring. But know this: it will get better, and you and your family will emerge from this era armed with the knowledge that more kindness and greater compassion will be needed if we’re to learn anything from this. Empathy and love must replace bitterness and hate now more than ever.

And that’ll mean making some substantive changes in your life – not just in how you live on a day-to-day basis, but in how you love the people and places around you. And the greatest irony with this terrible disease is that it has opened up an existential window for us to seriously ask the question: “What changes am I prepared to make to live a better life?”

But don’t you dare give up.

You can start by remembering that without each other, we’re doomed. We are armed with powerful communication tools and an endless array of distractionary software to keep ourselves entertained. There are so many ways for us to enjoy our virtual realities that now is the time to understand why this technology exists in the first place, as both a pacifier and a legitimate form of escapism.

When my less-than-tech savvy childhood friend from high school called me for the very first time on WhatsApp, I found myself touched and overwhelmed with genuine emotion as his son and daughters waved and delighted us both with their unbridled enthusiasm. It made me realize that there’s so much more going on around me that is the quintessence of pure love and projected happiness.

And that’s when it dawned on me that now is the time for all of us to reach out to those we love and care about in ways unprecedented, and to remind them that we’re not only going to get through this period of misery and atrophy together, but that we have a chance to come out of this with a new collective consciousness never felt before.

One where we can rise above the populism and troglodytes and weak leaders who have failed us so miserably in the past. One where our community exists not to shame or divide or ostracize us from our collective, but where our shared mutual interests for survival are reflected in a caring, gentle culture aimed at keeping our weakest strong and making our strongest vibrant as leaders for the future.

Education, health care, clean water, safe roads. What was obvious and necessary became irrelevant and trivial. And that’s why this savage time represents a bold opportunity like no other in human history. A chance to reboot our civilization in ways that celebrate the living instead of taking ourselves for granted. In essence, we either learn from global tragedy or we become defined by it.

But don’t you dare give up.