Pandemics creep up on us slowly, and without our suspecting, while we are distracted. Likewise, human experience shows that they recede gradually and without our noticing. For those in the eye of its storm—those that experience their devastating impact firsthand without the hope of an end in sight—they touch and shape their daily lives and their societies, in big and small ways. History shows, that across millennia, pandemics throw a harsh light on existing cleavages in societies and shortcomings in their organization; fuel deliberation, agitation, and the search for new ideas; and accelerate or bring about change. There is no reason to believe the effect of the pandemic that is presently affecting every continent will not follow a similar path.

中文翻译：

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流行病和文化的作用

大流行病在我们心烦意乱的情况下缓慢地蔓延到我们身上，而我们却没有怀疑。同样，人类的经验表明它们会在我们不注意的情况下逐渐消退。对于那些处于风暴眼中的人——那些亲身经历了灾难性影响而没有看到结束希望的人——他们以大大小小的方式触及和塑造了他们的日常生活和社会。历史表明，几千年来，流行病对社会中现有的分裂及其组织中的缺陷提出了严厉的批评；激发审议、鼓动和寻找新想法；并加速或带来改变。没有理由相信目前影响每个大陆的大流行的影响不会走类似的道路。