THE ONLY CONSTANT IN LIFE IS CHANGE
We fight change and tend to spring into action only in the face of danger or when we don’t have a choice.
“Every crisis contains within it the seeds of transformation and growth.” – Jodie Gale
We have just started processing the massive dislocations wrought by COVID-19. Knowing that no aspect of our life – personal or public – has been left untouched. From family and community life to healthcare, employment, education, politics, governance, industry, technology, and even romance. Entire industries such as hospitality, retailing and travel were stopped cold. Incomes disappeared for millions. Family visits ended.
Suffice it to say that we in the developed countries will have to address two major underlying issues: climate change and the entrenched inequalities that cause the poor to always suffer most. I am keenly aware of my privilege in comparison to the millions uninsured and medically underserved. That’s why I support universal healthcare as well as basic diagnostics offered at accessible retail drugstores.
It would be wise to accept that almost nothing will ever be the same again. There will be a “new normal”.
Whenever change has already come – as it has – it’s futile to curse conditions and become paralyzed by despair because we must act from the reality in which we find ourselves. Humans are adaptive and wired for survival which is not to say that we don’t love comfort and predictability. We fight change and tend to spring into action only in the face of danger or when we don’t have a choice.
The most daunting challenges of the times are dealing with grief and coping with uncertainty
With so many demands, it is easy to put ourselves last and forget that all good flows from our mental, physical and spiritual wellbeing. Caring for ourselves is our first priority and the only way we can continue to help our families, the environment (our beloved Gaia) and our fellows.
EVERY CRISIS CONTAINS THE SEEDS OF OPPORTUNITY… FOR ORGANIZATIONS, INDIVIDUALS AND THE GLOBAL VILLAGE AS A WHOLE.
This crisis has also shown that warehousing people and animals is not just cruel but patently dangerous. Warehousing people and animals is always cruel, now we know it is an ever-present danger to the health of the entire planet.
Photo credit: Peta
Lockdowns have brought unexpected ecological benefits
Moreover, less pollution plus mask wearing have reduced respiratory hospitalizations, shortened flu seasons, and reduced related deaths.
Absent toxic overload, fish and marine mammals have begun to return to aquatic habitats. In South Florida, the manatees and pelicans are thriving again. Even in some of the most congested cities (pre-COVID), songbirds, owls, butterflies, and squirrels have returned to public parks and other green spaces.
And in Venice (Italy) reduced boat traffic has allowed sediments to settle enough for fish to swim the canals.
“These images show one of the effects of the locked-down city of Venice, in northern Italy. The top image, captured 13 April 2020, shows a distinct lack of boat traffic compared to the image from 19 April 2019” – ESA
We have gone back to eating local and growing our own food
In the age of COVID, supply chains proved to be easily interrupted and increasingly costly. Urban gardens on public lands were already a movement so it was natural to scale them up to serve increased needs. Small family producers and cooperatives (previously shut out of the big grocery chains) began open-air farmers markets, a safer alternative to indoor shopping.
But this trend has expanded exponentially. Yards and lawns of all sizes have become orchards, small balconies container gardens and even enclosed apartments are using hydroponics to grow greens and spices.
Hydroponic gardening is a great way to grow plants without having a garden.
Seeds of opportunities in remote learning
Today, it seems that just about everything one can imagine is being taught or demonstrated online. Facetime, Go to Meeting, Zoom and Google Meet are now almost as common as phone calls.
Seeds of opportunities in remote learning, working from home, shopping, and telemedicine were already evident but taking root slowly. During this crisis, they have accelerated progress in the ways we learn, work, and move in the world.
Countless opportunities have sprung across all sectors to address new needs, whether in supply chains, robotics, self-driving cars, virtual experiences, or biological systems. Individuals, too, are making their mark providing goods and services that didn’t even exist two years ago.
Home is the new work site, restaurant, spa, medical office, and salon all rolled into one. At least for the time being.
The beauty industry has always thrived on product innovation. Salon and spa closings unleashed a torrent of improved tools, devices, and gadgets for home use. Microcurrent facial toning, micro-needling, derma-rollers, ultrasound devices, microdermabrasion and high frequency facial machines have all been improved and brought to consumer affordability appropriate to the times. The same can be said for the haircare category, from stylers to ultrasound hair restoration.
SILVER LININGS
Even taking into account the devastating loss of life and other tough lessons, we know that matters could be much worse. Optimists point to “silver linings”, the positive outcomes that will accrue if we commit to taking intelligent, right action.
Let’s touch on a few of them. Vaccines were developed, tested, and approved in record time. But not just any vaccine, rather a new type, mRNA (messenger-RNA) that teaches our cells to make protective proteins. It has other applications. Production and vaccinations in some countries have been faster than expected.
Fortunately, appreciation and respect for scientists and healthcare professionals is the norm once again.
Crises have always ushered innovation and this one is no different.
A doctor in Wales has already designed a simple ventilator to help patients breathe thus avoiding intensive care. Self-sanitizing masks are readily available as are those with pictures of the face or transparent breathable plastic. Gadgets open doors and push buttons without having hands touch them.
Many private homes are like the medical offices of yesteryear.
Before a recent telemedicine appointment, I was asked to provide the following: weight, BMI, oxygen saturation, blood pressure and heart rate, to which I added that my iWatch had not detected atrial fibrillation. All this from the comfort of my home. For good measure, we also own a rescue defibrillator, especially valuable in the age of stretched emergency personnel and overcrowded ERs.
