The shift into a new world has begun whether you like it or not and the only thing you can control is where your focus is directed. If you chose to see the negative you will miss all the opportunity for positive change that we will be forced to make. We are in the process of civilisation being reinvented with the way we live our life will be changed forever and how we respond will define our future. The positive impact we have on others must be held as our highest value. I am and will continue to suffer as much as the next person through this challenging time, I’m simply choosing to see the light in the darkness, that’s all I can control!
This pandemic regardless of how bad you think the virus is, has reflected to us humanities most obvious flaws and I’m more interested in what we can learn from this situation than the pandemic itself. I have felt this way for a long time about all of the below issues and forgive my excitement about the impending drama that I feel awaits us all but I unlike the majority of people subscribe to the short term pain long term gain way of thinking. I am in no way celebrating the misfortune of others and my heart goes out to those who it directly affects, but like a phoenix rises from the ashes I think sometimes that when we are faced with the lowest points of our life, it forces your hand to impose change, and I can only hope that we can learn something from this challenging time.
I honestly believe that this time will be looked back on as one of the greatest turning points in the history of our civilisation. I know there will be hardship and pain for people on so many different fronts and I understand that isolation, unemployment, financial strain and mental health will be huge issues throughout this situation. Call me overly optimistic but for me I truely believe there is long term positive change that will come within the mindset we have, the current financial system we use, the way information is delivered and the healthcare or lifestyle we adhere to.
Fiat debt based capitalism is dead
Although destined to happen very soon regardless of a virus or not, I believe that through the inevitable global recession and crashing of our fiat debt based financial system, great minds immeasurably smarter than you or I will come together to innovate and create a new and fairer form of trade or currency. Capitalism is a system in which a country's trade and industry are controlled by private owners for profit, and I admit it has created the opportunity for innovation and the chance to climb from the bottom to the top, but it has served its purpose and its days are numbered. It’s time for change. It has been exposed as an inept system no longer able to satisfy the needs of everyone fairly highlighted by the contradicting recommendations of the governments that uphold that very same ideology.
Every measure they have taken to contain this outbreak has opposed and worked against the idea of capitalism, even pharmaceutical companies have come together and chosen not to prioritise profit or withhold cures from opposition, but to instead work together for the benefit of all. The idea of competition driving us to improve has been thrown out the door and we have adopted a team effort approach, the very opposite to capitalism. The question is why is this not the normal way of thinking and doing business, why is the benefit of all not the end goal?
It’s because capitalism idolises profit, and when profit is the priority the masses lose out, corruption and greed rein over truth. The sugar industry is a perfect example funding studies and smudging results to put the blame on fat as the cause of rising cardio vascular disease, we now know this to be untrue and with unsettling figures of 17.9 million deaths a year attributed to the disease, one of the largest contributing factors of course being sugar and perhaps had this study not been corrupted by the idea of profit the truth would have come out, saving millions of lives every year. This and countless other similar examples highlight just how neanderthal the current system is and how not only our financial state is manipulated by profit, but our lifestyle. I question if we can’t use this ideology in our deepest time of need, then why keep using it at all. I am not so brazen as to suggest a better system but with the right thinking from some of the worlds finest minds I am certain our current financial system will very soon be replaced creating freedom, truth and and exciting future for all.
Appreciate what you have
I believe through the hardship that almost every single person will experience over the coming months and years, whether employment and financial stress to mental health I feel we will begin to have a sense of gratitude for what we already had, as apposed to the entitlement and greed we currently display. Instead of people wanting more, they will merely be happy with just enough. Material wealth will be not held in as high regard as overall happiness and health of those closest to us, ultimately resulting in a less selfish society with more kindness, generosity and people not willing to help others being left behind.
Health will thrive
I believe everyone’s efforts to maintain a healthy lifestyle will improve. As we know the body heals itself, just as it fights off illness best when in good health. A healthy lifestyle is the first line of defence for fighting off all disease. Even vaccines only trigger your immune system to mount it’s own defence against any pathogen when introduced to the body. It’s not the vaccine that fights off illness, it’s your body. Harvard health recommends we eat a diet high in fruits and vegetables, exercise regularly, maintain a healthy weight, stress less, avoid smoking or drinking alcohol and get adequate sleep to help boost our immune system. Even though it won’t make you immune it certainly helps the fight for any future issues and although it’s been subject to debate for decades sometimes a situation like this can almost scare the majority into the right habits.
I also think that considering it’s understood the outbreak began through eating bad meat, the consumption of animal products will be continue to severely drop as recent trends have already shown a huge jump in plant based diets over the last year. Now with the added fear of potential contaminated meat, I think in an attempt to lessen the spread of such diseases the people will simply chose to at the very least reduce the amount they consume. I do believe long term there will be a conscious shift in our eating behaviour as demonstrated we have already seen a dramatic increase in vegan/vegetarian diets in China throughout their lockdown, and although this may have been temporary through availability, in my opinion this is a very good thing only helping the sustainability and health of our environment and wildlife.
No more fake news
I believe the way we receive information will be changed forever with this being a perfect example of how the headlines cause fear and panic through how they chose to frame articles and stories. Once the dust has settled I think we will realise the way we have reacted as individuals and the measures taken to contain the virus were far more detrimental to society than the disease itself. The finger will be squarely pointed at the news platforms who scared so many people in the first place. It won’t happen overnight but when accuracy and truth is valued higher than fear, entertainment and profit the quality of journalism will improve and again become a valuable source of information for the masses.
If we learn anything from this pandemic I’d like it to be that kindness, gratitude, truth and empathy have to be societies strongest values. In the end we all want to be happy and if this ensuing rollercoaster helps us learn from our mistakes maybe this is the greatest thing that could have to happen to us. Change is always hard at first, and I undoubtedly believe the old systems will not go out without a fight, but I believe this can and will enforce positive change no matter how inconvenient it is for us all, I believe we will be better for it.....
Call me optimistic
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