2020: A reality that has changed the world

Looking back on 2020 at the start of the coronavirus pandemic, we took an almost morbid delight into what was happening.

Many of us accepted the dire predictions that the world would never be the same again and tried to imagine what the future could be like.

Weeks into the global pandemic, as city after city in the world shut down, we marvelled at the way in which pollution was disappearing.

We speculated how the world of work would have to be reconfigured. We already knew that face to face meetings were not a necessity and that many of us can be as effective working from home as we are working in an office.

The joy of not being stuck in the morning or afternoon traffic seemed like one of the biggest bonuses bestowed on us by the coronavirus pandemic.

Concerns over the safety of our children had many of us looking at the possibility of home-schooling or online learning, and for those with access to technology and the internet it seemed almost inevitable.

It was clear that many industries like entertainment and hospitality would have to be reimagined. All these discussions kept us occupied as we imagined the new world post coronavirus. But most of all, we agreed that the world would never be the same again.

The severity of the pandemic was tempered by the many feel good stories that we were sharing.

We appreciated the value of people doing jobs that previously we had not given a second thought to.

Shop assistants, garbage collectors and nurses were putting their lives at risks on our behalf.

New words entered our everyday vocabulary. Self -isolation, quarantine, lockdown and front-line workers were just some of it.

We embraced the opportunity to do good and to be better people. The sense of solidarity allowed us to empathise with others who were in dire straits.

Sadly, as the months passed by, the novelty wore off and lockdown fatigue had us looking inwards. We hit the reset button and fell back to our normal default position.

As livelihoods and incomes were threatened, the need to blame someone became ever attractive.

We were all struggling to find the appropriate response to the prevailing situation.

It was disheartening that insult and abuse had taken the place of rational argument.

It was also incredible how major multi-national corporations went bankrupt in a matter of weeks.

International airlines, one after another, succumbed to the economic pressure that directly impacted them since governments around the world shut down borders.

This is the economic reality that confronts the world today. And if we are going to stand any chance of personal survival, we need to come to terms with the fact that the world as we knew it has changed.

We will not find solutions for our current problems by relying on what worked in the past. Now is the time for innovative and entrepreneurial initiatives.

Buying local and supporting small business will contribute to rebuilding the economy. Regional cooperation with our neighbours will provide new commercial opportunities.

Moving from the movement control order (MCO) to the conditional MCO does not mean that we have conquered the virus. All it means is that the government has done about as much as it can in preparing the health services for the inevitable onslaught on our health resources.

For the past year, there has been a huge investment to educate the population with regard to the scourge of the coronavirus. We all know the basics.

Come 2021, the rest is really now up to every individual to take personal responsibility. We cannot allow the pandemic to get us down. And even as we maintain the social distancing protocol, we will find new ways of expressing our social solidarity.

We have to believe, that as a country, we will prevail.

Comments: letters@thesundaily.com