Two Red-billed Oxpeckers were arguing about where they should steer “their” rhinoceros as he walked about on the African Savanna.

In case you’re not familiar with Red-billed Oxpeckers, they are a bird that lives in a symbiotic relationship with rhinos. They ride along cleaning the rhino of ticks and other parasites that attach themselves to its hide, and serve as sentries providing aerial surveillance to give the rhino the alarm when hunters and other predators are nearby. In return none of the oxpeckers’ natural enemies are going to mess with them as long as they are on their living tank and they always have a plentiful supply of tasty treats.

So here were these two oxpeckers arguing about whether they should take their rhino to the watering hole where they could get a drink and hang out with some of their kind, or whether they should take him to the shade of the acacia tree where they could get out of the sun and maybe grab a snack on something other than ticks. Meanwhile the rhino grazed on oblivious to the heated discussion taking place on its back. He had more important things to occupy his time than listening to a couple of birdbrains jabbering over watering holes and acacia trees. He would go to the watering hole when he was thirsty, and he would go to the acacia tree when he was in the mood for a little shade and a nap. But the oxpeckers squawked and screeched and just knew they could drive their tank wherever they willed.

Humans are the oxpeckers riding on the back of this planet. Those who see themselves the gods of this world, the politicians and “scientists”, think they are in command of the earth’s changing climate and just know they can control viral infestations. But in truth, the climate changes regardless the human component. If we are to accept the current view of geologic time, the earth cycles between ice ages and tropical warmth, and it is presently at the tail-end of an ice age – a period within the cycles when life as we know it is optimal. So here we are with a slowly warming planet with no real control over how its climate cycles, and like those oxpeckers, those who preen themselves as the lords of the universe chatter and squawk about carbon (an element essential to our very existence) and weather patterns. They cannot steer the rhino but they pride themselves on being able to do so.

As with the climate, these gods are absolutely powerless in the face of a new virus. They flutter about telling all the other oxpeckers how they can control it. But instead of making life better for their fellow creatures, they worsen the situation. A virus that would cull the herd of its weak and old and then join the roster of annoying infections becomes a means of tearing down the social structures that have served us well for generations and creating a society that better serves these gods. Millions are in economic distress, children have been deprived of educational and social development, people are starving for meaningful connection and are suffering mental illness with its consequent drug abuse and suicide all thanks to the oxpecker gods deluding themselves that they can control the rhino.

Humans are endowed by their Creator the ability to adapt to the world, but not to adapt the world to themselves and when our gods attempt to do so they usually create a mess. They are just oxpeckers chattering loudly as our rhino goes where it will.