By C. Grell
As Covid-19 sweeps through the globe we have been forced to stop. Imagine every major traffic light at every major road, as each driver and their passengers navigate a detour that would take them into an unforeseeable future.
The emergence of social media has literally shown us the chaos, the constant chatter, the yearning, and the needs of people. The term “keep yourself busy” reared its ugly head in the faces of those who churned mindlessly. “I am bored” became their new norm.
Domestic abuse and divorce cases rose. The escape, the convenience, and the façade we built to accommodate our unfulfilled lives crumbled. We were forced to live with what we built! We became slow-moving targets as nature unveiled the consequence of our unnurtured recluse. The debris was plucked away allowing time for thought. With technology and the world at our fingertips, substance was still out of our grasp.
As Time Stands Still
In our struggle for existence during the Coronavirus, the weakest amongst us were thinned out. Was it natural selection? In time we may have answers as to the true origin of the virus, but until then, we need to consider mutations to something unknown and to question immunities towards such.
Unemployment rates rose as millions of people around the globe lost their jobs. However, digital by design and platform companies such as Netflix, Amazon, Microsoft, Apple, and Facebook held broader market support. The economic impact on major industries assumes a slow recovery.
We can see the impact of humans in their different geographical locations around the globe. Some seek food and shelter, and some binge on beer and wine to ease their boredom. In a place like Yemen with a broken healthcare system amidst malnutrition and disease, there is talk of a ceasefire to ease the spread of the virus. The violence of the five-year-old war leaves them vulnerable due to poverty and inadequate sanitation.
Lockdowns in third world countries left citizens without financial resources to feed their families. With little technological advances, there were no electronic deposits, and no system in place to take a census, furthermore, extend aid to individuals or families.
The birth of innovation and a renewed sense of hope will emerge. This is how cities are built and cultures are defined. Wars have caused the largest displacement of people in the world. This pandemic will result in yet another shift. A shift that will create a necessity, hopefully, that curtails our need for anything other than peace and kindness.
