The global economic and political order is undergoing disruptive structural changes in social, business, technological, financial, and environmental sectors. Faced with a novel and deadly virus, working together, and coordinating efforts both on a national and global scale, is now a matter of life or death.
We live in an era of unmatched sophistication, freedom, and comfort; weaved together in webs of sociopolitical connections and multinational corporations. Years of scientific research and discoveries one might argue, have rendered us dependent on machines and computers, but they have given us great influence over the natural world and have significantly improved our living standards. We have conquered disease and extended our lifespan.
However, one virus – COVID-19, which is about 10 times deadlier than the seasonal flu, according to the National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Disease -- has unraveled the systems and got the whole world in alarm. In total panic, the world can now see how deeply interconnected and interdependent it really is with the growing travel industry, digital communication, and overall economic dependency. Nations continue to grapple with the rapid spread of the pandemic, which is hurting global supply chains and slowing down all movement both nationally and internationally.
In the near future there might be a necessary shift to more locally-based, community centered business structures due to less travel and closure of borders. In our globalized society, victory over COVID-19 will require great international coordination and governance to mobilize funds and find a cure or vaccine. And hopefully, the same approach and urgency will be adopted to address parallel issues like climate change and other major environmental and social problems.
Journal Entry:
(March 25th, 2020)
I am living a humbling experience. A change of pace.
A shift from an external to an internal focus.
A restructuring of plans and priorities. My growing compassion urges me to make unlikely sacrifices in my daily choices
to protect those I love, but also those I have never met and never will — an ironic sense of unity
and equality in our frail humanness and shared vulnerability.
Still from where I’m standing, not much has changed.
At least not this familiar sensation of being on the outside looking in.
A sort of quiet acceptance of all circumstances or is it plain indifference?
A detachment from useless irrational emotions that aggravate one’s state,
in this case fear, worry and panic …. and instead,
a sense of duty to work on things I can control. — A not so poetic peace of mind.
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