We Are Waves Of The Same Sea

Losing the plot, and charting a new course in the time of coronavirus

Volunteers thank members of a medical assistance team at a ceremony marking their departure after helping with the coronavirus recovery effort, in Wuhan, China, on March 19, 2020. Stringer/AFP via Getty Images

Last week, a large consignment of crates arrived in Italy, addressed to the country’s Civil Protection Department, from the consumer electronics giant, Xiaomi. Inside were tens of thousands of FFP3 face masks for Italy’s healthcare workers, a “token of gratitude to the Italian people” from the Chinese company for making their workers feel so welcome when they opened their first European offices in 2018. Stapled to the side of each of the crates was a quote, in both Italian and English, attributed to the Roman philosopher, Seneca.

“We are waves of the same sea, leaves of the same tree, flowers of the same garden.”

Amidst the panic, the donations keep on coming. At the height of the outbreak in Wuhan the European Union donated 50 tonnes of equipment to China. Two days ago China returned the favour, sending the embattled continent two million surgical masks, 200,000 N95 masks and 50,000 testing kits. In the Phillipines, Manny Pacquiao just donated 600,000 masks to frontline healthworkers. Jack Ma, founder of the world’s largest e-commerce platform, is shipping one…