From “Yersinia Pestis” in the 14th century to COVID-19, death due to infectious disease is a prevalent and persistent threat to society. These diseases have the potential to affect everyone and even can kill humans as they spread, mutate, and replicate through communities like Wesleyan’s. This danger has been contested through a wide variety of methods — one way of combating viral diseases is through a concept called“Socialism of the Microbe.”

Proposed by Cyrus Edison in 1895, “Socialism of the Microbe” is a concept that emphasizes the importance of working together within a society to prevent the spread of infection between people. It aims to bolster the safety of everyone, both rich and poor, and focuses on improving society as a whole. It is not just an abstract idea — the core values of this idea have, in fact, been driving aspects of specific public-health legislations. Despite these apparent successes, in order for “Socialism of the Microbe” to reach its full potential, monumental shifts in our mindset and our willingness to keep ourselves and others safe are needed.

The variant strains of SARS-2 (like Delta) pose a serious threat to us as students and have the ability to shut down a campus if case numbers get too high. While it is paramount that students keep themselves safe, it is also essential that they consider the safety of others. At Wesleyan, 95 percent of campus is vaccinated against the original strain of COVID-19, but the Delta variant spreads almost three times faster — being lenient or negligent with proper precautions could be fatal.

Keeping the infection rate down is possible if we all remember that actions have consequences that span beyond the individual scale. Unfortunately, it seems as the year has gone by, we, as members of the community, have lessened our precision for cleanliness. Things like washing hands, staying home when feeling ill, and considering the health of others with the same importance as our own can slow the spread of infection, bringing us all closer to life as we knew it before COVID-19. More often than not, we do things that benefit ourselves but in turn, may harm others. During the pandemic, it has become increasingly easier to be both selfish and complacent. However, we are not yet a campus impervious to infection, and it is only by being both aware of and concerned for others’ health that we can ultimately return to some kind of normalcy.  

Of course, this concept exists in the greater sense as well —it is human nature to be inherently individualistic. But, in the context of COVID-19, this kind of behavior is dangerous. For example, though many Wesleyan students are aware of the consequences of putting their peers and teachers at risk, there’s often a failure to recognize that the University is just a small part of a greater community: Middletown.

It’s easy to emphasize the space that exists between our campus and the city we reside in; however, we must acknowledge the fact that we are outsiders in a city that is home to almost 50,000 people. It is therefore vital to change the perspective of students and help each other to understand that our current actions may affect more than just our peers. We can’t perceive Wesleyan as its own closed-off space; instead, we must be mindful of the city of Middletown and remember that our choices can put other people at significant risk.

We must focus on society as a whole rather than the parts that affect us. There are rules or guidelines in place to help keep everyone safe; staying home if one is sick or wearing a mask inside of buildings are necessary precautions that are not meant to be a punishment towards individuals— mutual trust between experts and common people is essential, now more so than ever. We must sustain our continued efforts toward the safety and wellbeing of our shared campus community. The safety of our campus, cities around us, and ourselves is dependent upon each individual.

Aris Dashiell is class of 2025 and can be reached at adashiell@wesleyan.edu.