Why COVID-19 is a Test of Evolution

Ken Lawrence
3 min readMar 16, 2020

We must avoid the “get mine” mentality

Photo by Nina Strehl on Unsplash

In the face of this unprecedented COVID-19 outbreak, I had a moment when I felt a true sense of community togetherness. There is something to foregoing one’s plans and making a small personal sacrifice for the greater good of society. Even though I am not personally at high-risk of serious complications from COVID-19, I want to ensure that I do not catch it and spread it to others who may be.

Being that this is the first time I have experienced anything like this, it was a unique, and uplifting feeling.

Knowing that collectively, we are in it together and will get through it together, made me feel more connected and like I am a part of something bigger than myself.

And then, I went to Target.

It was an abrupt wake-up from my brief utopia. I looked around and remembered, “Ah, right, we’re still imperfect human beings.” Deep down we have a basic survival instinct that, through evolution, we have been able to suppress, but will never fully eliminate.

Empty shelves everywhere. Chicken — gone. Pasta — gone. Beans — gone. Paper towels — gone. Toilet paper — gone. Medicine — gone. Many other items just about gone.

The survival instinct that kicks in is, “I need to get mine.”

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Ken Lawrence

Founder of The Modern White Man podcast | Striving to be antiracist, antisexist, & play a part in creating an equitable society where all races & genders thrive