You and I each have roughly 86 billion neurons in our brains. There are about 7.8 billion people on earth. So the total neurons available to planet Earth are 86B X 7.8B = 670.8 Quintillion neurons. That is an awesomely big brain. You and I are part of it.
You might think that such a huge brain, amplified many trillions of times by technology, would be able to easily solve the problems facing humanity, such as pandemics, undesirable climate change, potential asteroid impacts, nuclear war, global poverty and illness, and more. But I believe the Global Brain is like a toddler, trying to take its first steps. In the future, Earth will think and do things unimaginably brilliant and beautiful, but for now, the test is to overcome the Covid-19 pandemic.
That pandemic provides a focus of attention for the Global Brain. If we can coordinate our collective intelligence to solve this problem, we will learn to solve many other problems as well.
Fortunately, I believe the actions required form each individual to completely control and contain this virus, are extremely simple. A child could follow instructions to stay home and wash hands. And essentially this is all that is needed. The tough part is that we all have to do it at once -- and for a period weeks. We must knock down the virus to a level where it can be contained and controlled until a vaccine arrives. We can do this now with minimal loss of life, or we can be forced into it later, after millions have died.
The choice is ours.
Fortunately again, we have the ability to communicate with each other virtually. Physical distancing does not have to be SOCIAL distancing. In fact, social communication over the internet can provide the connectivity need to coordinate our actions in a manifestation of Global Collective Intelligence. We can beat the virus with less loss of life if we work together. Now is the time to do it!