Conspiracy theorists believe that many of humanity’s troubles are coordinated by a group of elites who run the world. They believe that this special group are only concerned with the preservation of their lives and that of their offspring and that they have been quietly plotting to eliminate the masses. But, is there any truth to this?
Often when celebrities die, even in accidents, conspiracy theorists believe it to orchestrated. We have heard about the ‘Illuminati,’ to which these elites are said to belong. It is supposedly a secret society where the world’s most powerful pledge allegiance and make sacrifices. Many celebrities are said to have gained their power and riches because of their allegiance to the ‘Illuminati.’ Many have also allegedly been killed by the group. Just last Sunday we lost basketball player Kobe Bryant, his daughter and seven others in a helicopter crash and I have already seen theories where some believe his death was no accident and of course the ‘Illuminati’ has also been blamed. Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston and Prince are a few others who these conspiracy theorists believe were murdered by the ‘Illuminati.’ Whether there is any truth about the power of this supposed group, or if it is just the delusions or desperate needs of people to explain what is often too puzzling or painful, I do not know.
Frequently, the epidemics in the world are also said to be orchestrated. For some conspiracy theorists, every virus is created in a lab. Many believe that HIV, for example, was created in a lab and that people were deliberately infected to control the world’s population. When I was a teenager, someone had a document that listed all the details that allegedly went into the creation of HIV.
Some believe that many of the diseases that we are experiencing have been planned long in advance. Conspiracy theorists believe that this elite group are concerned about the overpopulation of the world but only interested in eliminating certain groups. People in Africa and Asia are often said to be the targets.
A couple of years ago it was Ebola and in the early 2000s there was SARS. I cannot recall feeling any fear when there was the outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), but I remember the fear I felt thinking that death could be sooner than I had imagined if an Ebola outbreak was to hit Guyana. With a population of less than a million any epidemic could cause mass devastation.
According to the Center for Disease Control, the Ebola virus was discovered in 1976 in the Democratic Republic of Congo and, from time to time, there have been outbreaks. Ebola is a virus that causes fever, diarrhoea and body aches and even bleeding in and outside of the body. Since 2017, we have not heard much about Ebola and the panic that it caused has subsided.
Today the world seems to be facing a new crisis and this time it said to have begun in Wuhan China. SARS is also a coronavirus as is MERS, which is the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome. Both SARS and MERS are described as zoonotic viral diseases, which means they were first transmitted from animals to humans. The new human coronavirus can cause lower respiratory tract illnesses like bronchitis and pneumonia. It has been reported that a possible cause of the recent coronavirus outbreak could be linked to the consumption of reptiles, bats and other animals that are not regularly consumed by the average man. While I find it repulsive that any human would consume a creature like a bat, there are many questions about if that is really one of the sources of the outbreak. Nevertheless, it has been noted that the bat is a reservoir for several deadly viruses.
So many are in panic mode again. Some believe that travel should be halted from places where people have been diagnosed. I have noticed that many Guyanese have stated that they will no longer consume Chinese cuisine because of the virus. There have been no reported cases in Guyana, and we hope that the virus does not reach our shores, but I find it quite amusing and idiotic that suddenly people will stop consuming Chinese food because it is China where the outbreak began. After all the allegations that have been made over the years about rats, cats and dogs being cooked, it is a virus linked to bats and other creatures like snakes that has suddenly made people decide to stop consuming Chinese food? I am quite sure no one is eating bat soup in Guyana, even though we do consume some animals that many would find repulsive. Labba, for example, is a rodent. Nevertheless, this piece is not intended to debate what should or should not be eaten. Though I do not think people should be consuming creatures such as bats. I do not believe everything that moves should be food. However, the coronavirus is spread through the air, so boycotting Chinese restaurants will not make you immune.
Are the conspiracy theorists who believe that it is another virus that was created in a lab to cause panic and death ever correct? There is enough evidence that proves that often we are the creators of our demise.
Nevertheless, the outbreaks serve as a reminder about our mortality. Our time on this Earth is short. Some believe that we are reincarnated and experience several lifetimes. But if that is the case, every time we die and are reborn, are we returning to a better world? People are dying because of many diseases. There is a cancer pandemic. Every other person I know who has died in recent years has died because of cancer. We are dying because we do not eat a balanced diet and exercise. Too much alcohol and drugs is killing us. Sugar is the culprit also in many diseases. Heart disease, strokes, diabetes, and high blood pressure have all been killing us for ages. We are killing each other in wars and with other forms of violence. In Guyana, the murders are no secret. While viruses such as the coronavirus are threatening, in many ways we are ourselves viruses. Our greed, envy, racism and even politics are to our detriment. We create these problems and then we mourn, panic and pray.
We hope the coronavirus does not make its way here, nevertheless we must be prepared. We should use it as a reminder that life is short and, therefore, we should seek to enjoy every moment and not consume ourselves with worry or evildoings. Being happy is what should consume us.
