Despite some exceptions we nations of the world seem to be working together to combat a common enemy: the novel coronavirus. That’s a good thing. Maybe working together to combat other of our common enemies is also a possibility.
What are some of our other common enemies? Heart disease (15.2 million deaths in 2016); cancer (9.6 million deaths in 2017); chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (3 million deaths in 2016); diabetes (1.6 million deaths in 2016); dementia (262,000 deaths in 2017); lower respiratory infections (3 million deaths in 2016); HIV/AIDS (1 million deaths in 2016); road crashes (1.4 million deaths in 2016); homicides (400,000 deaths per year); starvation (9.1 million deaths in 2014); war (378,000 deaths each year between 1985 and 1994). Thus far worldwide, 67,249 people have died as a result of the novel coronavirus.
So if we’re going to band together to fight common enemies, we have a long list to choose from, and we need to know what causes each one. Here are just a few examples: A diet rich in meat fats and drugs such as alcohol are among the leading causes of heart disease; chemicals found in plastics, cigarettes and herbicides are among more than 400 cancer-causing agents found in our environment; a diet rich in refined sugars is a major cause of diabetes.
Where do we begin? Maybe by correcting the things we Americans are doing wrong.
We could start by agreeing with the Pope and the United Nations to end all support for war and bring our guns and soldiers home, and to end all sanctions, embargos and blockades that cause starvation. Next we could end all chemical pollution of our environment, in part by outlawing the production of non-recyclable plastics and herbicides. And we could outlaw the mass dissemination of chemically processed foods, develop sustainable agriculture that doesn’t damage the environment … the list goes on.
Wow, these are big tasks. Are we up to them? – Dean Grenz, Boulder
