The coronavirus crisis is a lesson in black swan theory, which deals with an unusual event that distinguishes between a world that conducts itself according to familiar rules and a new reality in which the known is no longer relevant and even makes it difficult to adapt to that new reality. Cognitive conservatism and a tendency to interpret the present in terms of the past explain the difficulty humans have in changing and making rapid changes to their thinking and behavior.
The way in which various nations are responding to coronavirus, the black swan of the 21st century, illustrates the difference between east and west. Asian nations underwent rapid learning processes that turned out to be effective. They identified coronavirus as a phenomenon that created unprecedented challenges to the existing order, and responded quickly. Their responses were not necessarily identical: China put millions in isolation, while South Korea focused on extensive testing and Taiwan closed its gates.
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But there is a common denominator to all these reactions: a process of rapid learning, cognitive adaptation, and recognition of a "black swan" event long before the World Health Organization declared coronavirus an epidemic.
The cognitive adaptation went hand in hand with concerted action that included steps that would previously have been inconceivable. Eastern philosophy and political culture, which strives for harmony and defines the collective as the element that dictates social order, helped these countries. Even if at the start of the crisis the idea of the collective prevented the voice of a lone Chinese doctor from being heard, when the seriousness of the situation sank in, the collectivism became an advantage.
The eastern model of thought is the opposite of western thinking, in which individualism, liberals, and personal liberty take precedence over the collective. In dealing with the coronavirus, western thinking has limited western countries' ability to take action that depends on social consensus. Western political tradition is linked to low adaptation, and that has turned out to be lethal for Europe and the US. Centralized government is ineffectual against open borders, soft management and mental exhaustion, especially in Europe, which is dealing with other challenges. This has prompted governments to throw up their hands.
The corona crisis is a litmus test of societies' ability to adapt to a changing reality. This is where the distance between the conservative, individual west and the dynamic, collective east are exposed. Israel lies somewhere on the geographic continuum between these two – between the "me" culture and the "we" culture. So Israel followed in the footsteps of Asian nations, but didn't go as far. It internalized the "black swan" reality and took measures that went far beyond what other western countries were doing, but adopted a gradual approach, unlike the Asian countries.
Israel must continue to demonstrate flexibility, adaptation, and stay dynamic. These are the keys that will ensure its ability to handle the "swan." These keys are familiar in the Jewish culture, which stems from the divine command to Abraham to "go forth." This is a path that rests on leaving behind previous conceptions and considerations in favor of movement that increases the potential to adapt. We can only hope that we will continue to act – in response to the current crisis, but not only it – in this cultural spirit. This time, our lives depend on it.
