We had a Zoom gathering last night with two other couples and all they wanted to talk about was what the world would look like when this is over.
One person was bemoaning the fact that making travel plans would be forever changed. Another spoke in fearful tones about living this way as a new normal. I related a point of view I gleaned from a YouTube video with Robert Gilman, an astrophysicist who became a leader in the sustainability movement.
He portrayed our current situation in a most interesting light.
Corona as DESTROYER
Corona as ILLUMINATOR, and
Corona as ACCELERATOR
We have watched with all too much clarity how COVID-19 has destroyed lives and families. But its path of destruction has also led to destruction of how we take things for granted and how our man-made borders are meaningless while the virus invades every country.
We can see clearly how this pandemic has illuminated many important issues that we are faced with as a global community. To name a few: our food systems, health care, the needs of our most vulnerable, our economic system. Pretty illuminating, huh?
Corona as accelerator is showing up in how we mobilize to create solutions to problems, like PPE, drugs, tests and supply chain in light of disruption. Another instance that highlights acceleration is telemedicine and counseling that insurance companies had refused to pay for. This genie is now out of the bottle and certainly will not go back to the old ways of face-to-face for every visit.
It’s a lot to think about…a lot to process.
We can choose to focus on the mounting death toll or disrupted travel plans or we can begin to examine the changes in our lives that might be positive and meaningful.
