Don’t Call It a War

COVID-19 is not a war, as some have called it. That is an outdated metaphor. Wartime pits humans against each other. We are not fighting each other. We are all simply trying to stay alive. What we need now is a global sharing of resources, data, and information and most of all compassion.

I support increasing manufacturing of necessary supplies, as has happened during wartime. But this is not a war — this is a critical opportunity to think of our humanity and how we can help each other.

If it helps you to think about it as a war in which we band together and work against a common enemy, ok. But let’s be clear — traditional war has humans killing each other. Right now, the most important thing we can do is help each other.