" And at an even more general level, viral epidemics remind us of the ultimate contingency and meaninglessness of our lives: no matter how magnificent the spiritual edifices we, humanity, construct, a stupid natural contingency like a virus or an asteroid can end it all … not to mention the lesson of ecology, which is that we, humanity, can also unknowingly contribute to this end. "

― Slavoj Žižek , Pandemic! COVID-19 Shakes the World