Society & Social Awareness
What Have You Learn From Last Year?
Why COVID Is a Blessing in Disguise and You Haven’t Realised It Yet
I think no one could debate 2020 has been a tough year. A virus has spread all over the world and considering how globalization progressed in the past few decades… I’ve got to admit this is no surprise to me.
Despite my disdain for our global capitalist economic architecture, how we share the world we live in, and my absoulte abjection towards globalization, what I’ve learn about its impact and consequences… is quite positive, overall.
Here’s the 3 reasons why.
Consciousness-raising & Empathy
Well, everyone’s not good at it, indeed! Human is a complex creature, all of us are different. And… That is okay, in the sense where it takes all sort to make a world.
Therefore, a few people out there (being so self-centered, cough) found themselves falling into a pit of misinformation, and anger, and arrogance and irresponsibility, and selfishness…
You get my point!
At first glance, it could seem like humanity is going to a wall.
But fortunately for us, others found themselves discovering a new trait they didn’t knew they were able of ; empathy.
And that is, in my humble opinion, the most beautiful thing that can happen.
I’ve been a witness of that particular moment in some of my closed one’s lives and… It’s magical. Every time. Not once I witnessed that as a banal, boring event. Never.
There’s always those sparkles in their eyes, so bright it could outstand the sun. That glance full of pride and… modesty, at the same time. That smile, so warm it could melt every North Pole’s icebergs (if global warming wasn’t doing such a good job).
And that so contagious peacefulness.
Being able of empathy feels like a burden, sometimes. It feels like you couldn’t carry the whole world on your shoulders even if you’d try your hardest. And… That’s true. You can’t.
But you can carry a bit of it.
And the more of us there are, carrying those little weights, the more we’ll be able to hold that world together, as a team.
Empathy is the key to bring back a sense of belonging to our own species as a whole. And I believe we’re making a step in the right direction here.
Mental & Physical Health
At least in my region of the world, pandemic and quarantine has been very helpful for those who were lacking time to achieve some personal goals!
As I discussed with people, I came to realised most of them were related to their physical or mental health, such as ; train more, cook more/healthier, read more, get involved in a hobby, etc..
With our work schedule of about 40h/week+, traffic issues in most big cities, regular life hygiene, kids, and stuff… The time we can (or sometimes “want to”) dedicate to our own well-being is short.
In the technology era, where entertainment has never been so easy to find, we tend to lose some time, every now and then.
It’s not a bad thing at a certain limit, cause sometimes our brain just need to switch off. It’s fine to give it some time to relax.
But the problem is… When you switch off your brain in a moment where… It got enough energy to run a marathon!
We should use that time to stay productive, and not let ourselves enjoying the “fun and easy” part. But it’s difficult, right?
On my side, putting my job on paused for a moment, made me think more in depth about how, where, and why I use my time.
I know I’m not the only one!
A friend of mine is now spending his traveling time to go to work… to meditate. Another, to use that treadmill sleeping in the basement for a decade. Another one… finally launched a personal project she was working on for years!
There’s a lot of ways to use that time to your advantage.
I think most people did and I’m glad about that!
Ecology & Local Shopping
Okay, I know Amazon has been our #1 ally lately. And commercial transport is so harmful to the environment!
But at the beginning of the pandemic, I was seeing the potential good impact on ecology that could have. Because… We were reducing our carbon footprint by benefiting the economies of scale (I’ll let that here, if you’re interested : Impact of E-commerce) and individually spending much less petrol for non-mandatory transport, such as going to work, when it’s easily possible to work from home. Or having a walk in our own neighbourhood, instead of driving miles just to get to a “nicer” spot. Or going to the small specialized grocery store by your doorstep, instead of spending the energy of a whole car to get your only self to the mall. And so on…
Unfortunately, that became completely false, VERY fast.
At the pace we were prioritizing online shopping, my hopes and wishes quickly took a big drop. People were suddenly ordering everything on one website who present tons of shops! Regardless which part of the world it came from. I was soooo disappointed by that.
But on the other hand, as the marketing was changing… The offer did too.
We started to see more and more local shops and crafters selling online! And not only on Amazon! I was amazed by the number of small shops who finally took the turn of an online store!
And so the customers have changed too and now encourage, promote and even demand their local businesses! That market is now open wide to everyone who really wants to get into it, and…
Wow! You’re kidding?! Getting delivered on my doorstep without much transport + promoting a local entrepreneur/artist?
At the same time?!
… TAKE MY MONEY!
Seriously, jokes aside… There’s a really good opportunity here, for all small creators to shine, and that is exactly what makes me happy!
If I could go back at the begining of 2020… with superpowers who could stop COVID or something… I wouldn’t change a thing!
It might be a surprise to you, but I feel like this current event is a step towards becoming greater, as human beings.
Or maybe I would just like to believe…
The only thing I know for sure is that… I’m optimistic!
