We are living on borrowed time with regard to epidemic. The more urban and more mobile that humans become, the more we speed up the advent of a
superbug.
The Black Death occurred because the trade network finally connected the whole of the ancient world by the 14th century. European population declined
by 75%.
Think about that for just a second. How many of our institutions could function while burying 75% of their workforce? How many harbors would still
be operational? How many oil refineries? How many hospitals? How many Gas stations and grocery stores? How many power plants? How many nuclear
facilities?
You'd band together alright. To form entry/burying parties. All of those bodies would need to be buried, before it rains and spreads the disease
into the groundwater. And before carrion spread the remains all over the countryside. Then there are the traditional secondary plagues when human
populations migrate: scarlet fever, amoebic dysentery, pneumonia.
Many institutions couldn't survive that shock.
What would property insurance mean, in a world where there would suddenly be acres of untenanted homes? What significance would probate courts have,
when 75 percent of the heirs are dead... as well as 75 percent of the judges?
Could banks still function? I bet I could stop making payments on the pickup truck, and no repo-man would ever show up... I could even go take a
better one, if I wanted, from a car dealership that was suddenly under-staffed. Likewise, I could move into a newly-vacant mansion, and I really
doubt the cops would give a rip. Their main concern would be convincing me to run a backhoe for them, to prepare the mass graves...
I think a lot of what looks like looting in 2014 would simply be salvage in a post-plague world. Fewer shots fired, since there'd be an excess of
resources, and hardly anyone left to shoot.
In such a world, treasure would no longer consist of money or credit, or even consumer goods.
Suddenly, treasure would be a healthy worker
Happy New Year.
edit on 31-12-2014 by tovenar because: (no reason given)