A Vision of Our Future: Lessons from Past Pandemic and Renaissance

Today is tomorrow you [thought] about yesterday.

-Dale Carnegie

When our civilization advanced and interconnected globally, Mother Nature introduced us to new challenges. Although plagues and pandemics have posed a threat to our society, they all came with silver linings. Despite the massive loss, insurmountable grief, and social collapse, they have catalyzed and accelerated our culture and humanity's (r)evolution. The rebirth we're currently experiencing is not a new phenomenon. It's been part of our human history throughout the ages. As our world recovers and revitalizes from the pandemic, we're about to embark on another Renaissance, this time; we're living in the Digital Renaissance. Looking back throughout history, the outcome of the pandemics created many innovations, the collapse of social, political, economic, and cultural barriers, and have us confront our morals and mortality.

The first wave of the Bubonic plague, the Justinian Plague in the 6th Century, and subsequently, the "Black Death" in the Middle Ages, contributed to significant shifts in our civilization that ultimately gave rise to modernity. The Justinian Plague brought on a rapid spread of Christianity in the Byzantine Empire. The first wave of Renaissance in the 15th Century replaced religious dogma with human curiosity and creativity. Feudalism became obsolete as the population declined by 30-40%, and land values depreciated. The food and land thus became abundant during the harvest, and skilled labor was in great demand, which provided more opportunities for former serfs to enjoy more freedom and earn higher wages.

As we have experienced with our recent pandemic, it disrupted "normal" daily patterns and made us adapt to the abrupt changes. In the Middle Ages, the plague also questioned peoples' faith in religion and their values. As a result, humanism emerged in Italy during the 14th Century. They reverted to ancient Greek and Roman philosophies, cultures, and values, in which humans could control their destiny through their achievements in education, classical arts, literature, and science. The invention of the moveable type in the Gutenberg press in 1450 prompted the Information Age and facilitated rapid communication, literacy, and scientific revolution throughout Europe. As Europe transitioned from the Dark Ages to Renaissance, it expanded the possibilities and opportunities to think and act outside the box. Traditionally reserved for the nobility and the church, more independent scholars and artists flourished during this period in our history. 

More than 400 years later, the Spanish Flu of 1918 ushered in the Roaring Twenties, known as the "Jazz Age." It was also an age of excess and economic prosperity that accelerated the introduction of new trends in lifestyle and culture in the United States and Europe. The spirit of the Roaring Twenties captures the concept of modernity--the rupture with tradition through modern technology such as automobiles, telephone, films, radio, and electric appliances. The mainstream media focused on celebrities, especially sports heroes and movie stars, to cater to the rise of mass-consumer culture. In addition, President Warren G. Harding "brought back normalcy" to the politics of the United States after recovering from World War I, and women finally gained their right to vote.

Another notable tragedy in our human history is the AIDS crisis in the 1980s and early 1990s. Since the beginning of the epidemic, AIDS claimed over 34.7 million lives and created stigma, fear, and anxiety among the gay communities. Fortunately, antiretroviral therapy (ART) has reduced morbidity and mortality rates; it's still an ongoing battle (we've just been focused on our current pandemic). The activism to educate and stop the spread of HIV has ultimately led to marriage equality and the expansion of gender identities in the 2000s. 

The year 2020 began with our battle with COVID-19. If history serves as a guide and lesson, the outcome of the pandemic has further divided within the society, disrupted, and adjusted our "normal" pattern. Plagues have reordered and restructured our cultural, social, and political institutions. Just as with the previous pandemic, we've become angrier, isolated, and vocal about social injustices and social inequality, especially the Black Lives Matter movement. Despite the massive unemployment and fears of the unknown, many pivoted and seized the new opportunities online--starting a new career elsewhere or creating new businesses.

Although some compare our departure from the pandemic as the new "Roaring 2020s," it's more similar to the 14th Century Renaissance for the Digital Age. The second Renaissance in the 21st Century is a hybrid form of technology and humanism. When the entire world was in locked-down mode, we've relied heavily on technology to keep us connected and witnessed the resurgence of the blockchain and NFTs. The art market began to embrace technology and shift our values towards art and artists. Despite the social distancing, our world became more connected (virtually), and the internet accelerated the expansion of knowledge and democratization of information. Although technology became our new religion in the 21st Century, dominating every aspect of our lives, humanism and empathy have prevailed and expanded as we're more consciously aware of them.

Currently, we have two visions of our future where Silicon Valley envisions Utopian while Hollywood shows us the Dystopian World. The pandemics throughout history dismantled the traditions, old thoughts, beliefs, and practices. They led to the breakdown of the social, political, economic, and cultural barriers and gave birth to the middle class, humanism, inventions, and innovations (printing press and technology). However, plagues throughout history also question our future. As our world is in flux and we transition into the Digital Renaissance, we have a choice to make: do we continue to rebuild our pre-pandemic days, or do we seize the moment to reinvent ourselves to create a new, brighter future? What would you choose? Remember, the choice you make today determines the outcome of our tomorrow.