After Lockdown!
Just a few thoughts and/or suggestions for how I truly hope that people around the world will change when Covid 19 finally runs itself into a cul-de-sac of transmission.
From what I can gather, this is still going to be quite a few weeks away and, as the carer for my 96-year-old mother whom also has dementia, I can fully appreciate how stressful not being able to get out can be!
Getting out with my camera and working on a photography and/or art project is what gives me balance and keeps me sane, so I do understand the challenges that come with this ‘lockdown’ and I know that we all have our challenges within this new lifestyle too.
But a few months from now we will be allowed to venture back out and be closer to other people as the fear of transmission is reduced, but I am concerned that we may too easily forget this time and not learn as much as we should from it, so here are a few thoughts for you to lock in place and, hopefully, action for a positive change on the other side of Covid 19.
Hugs
If you’re anything like me you will have missed those hugs that were normally part of your life…
So, make sure that you appreciate them when you get them back, because you (like me), might have been taking them for granted!
Moreover, take a look at the link below and check out all the benefits that come from getting and giving a good hug.
Family & Friends
We’re all isolated from family and friends during this lockdown and that’s hard I know.
You may already be taking advantage of video calling (I know I am), as this modern world does provide some technical options for keeping in touch that our ancestors would have seen as pure magic.
If you’ve not been using it as much as you could, why not make a video call to someone you miss and brighten their day a little with some face to face conversation and banter, as well as checking that they’re ok.
Please do this as some people are seriously finding the isolation a tougher mental challenge than a physical one, so check in with people and let them know you’re thinking of them.
Working from Home
With today’s technology, this situation has proved beyond doubt that (for a lot of people but not all), working from home is very possible and, in some cases, very beneficial for the planet and the pocket without any detriment to the business.
Can you imagine what the carbon benefits alone would be if working from home say 2 or 3 days a week became a thing, along with virtual meetings become more acceptable?
The difference for the planet could be staggering, and this set of circumstances, I hope, will have just confirmed that with a little bit of planning it is seriously possible and the potential cost savings both direct and indirect are monumental…
Planning Financially
There is no doubt that this current lockdown will have caused seriously stressful situations for many people about money and the potential lack thereof…
The Government is, as you know, putting things into place the get money to people and some people I know have already received some. I am also aware that many Landlords, Banks and other institutions that people may owe money to will be making arrangements to defer payments in one way or another.
With all that, I do not doubt that many people’s finances will be in something of a state by the end of this lockdown, and there will be a period of significant pain on the way back to trying to ‘balance’ the books.
The poorest people genuinely have no option to save as they are living hand to mouth and need all the support we can give them, even in normal times. But there are many people out there that have been caught with their financial pants down by this when they did earn enough to be able to save but hadn’t done it.
Hopefully, this virus will have given us all pause for thought about the way we structure our lives in the future and where we put our priorities because I’m sure we have all changed some of them already haven’t we?
Material Things
Maybe this situation will provide you with the opportunity to take a look around you and, in terms of readdressing your finances going forward, assess what you need versus what you want.
Many people spend much of their lives chasing the material things as they feel as if they are defined by the ownership of them and the status that they may bring which, compared to what’s important and brought into sharp focus at times like these, can seem very hollow and far less meaningful than you might have previously thought.
Don’t get me wrong, I have no problem with nice things, and if you can genuinely afford them and you want them then knock yourself out…
What I am trying to bring into perspective here is that some people may have gone out on a limb financially to get some of those luxuries in life and, right now because of the situation, may be realising that although the luxuries are lovely, they currently offer you no support to help you through this, and the financial challenges of the lockdown might be seriously adding to your stress levels.
All I am saying is that this is a great time to reassess your life priorities so that on the other side you can invest your energy, skills and time with more enlightened considerations.
Appreciation
The lockdown has provided a lot of challenges for us all, a fair amount of healthy fear in terms of considering the consequences of what we do and how we do it and a healthy recognition of the well-known oxymoron that is ‘Social Distancing’.
But, if we allow it to, it has also provided us all with a massive opportunity to properly appreciate what we already have; our home, our family, our friends, our interests and hobbies and the connectedness that technology provides.
I would hazard a guess and say that, before the lockdown, all of those things have been taking for granted by you most of the time…
When we get the other side of this it would be a great thing if we all appreciated what and who we have in our lives more often.
Have an ‘Attitude of Grattitude’ is often considered to be a religious phrase but let me tell you something, I’m an atheist and I have to tell you that having an ‘Attitude of Gratitude’ is just a great way to start the day, regardless of your belief system 😊
Earth
I’m sure that we have all seen one or more of the pictures on the internet showing Dolphins returning to the Venetian canals or the reduction in Pollution over major cities. In other words, during this global pandemic and the resulting lockdown of human beings, the Earth has shown signs of healing the damage we cause, and the fact it can be so obvious so quickly should make us hang our heads in shame…
I hope that we may learn one simple message as a result of this. We need Earth but it doesn’t need us at all. In truth, it is most likely that it would be significantly better off without us and who knows, maybe Covid 19 is the Earth trying to address the balance that we are screwing up!
It’s time we learned and it’s past time that we took the way we impact the world more seriously than we do the words Profit, Power and Wealth. It’s time the world leaders changed their goals and their collective paymasters…
Important People
We have things backwards in our world and it’s time to wake the hell up and get things sorted out.
We have some of those that dedicate their lives to saving others using bloody foodbanks whilst others who are very good at sports are living as multi-millionaires – that balance is not right and the system that allows that balance is most definitely not right.
Don’t misunderstand me here, I am not espousing my lefty or communist views. I (in essence) understand the benefits of Capitalism. I sell my Art and Photography and that I should see a financial reward for the work I put in makes sense.
The Capitalist model we have in place at the moment, which allows Governments to be a part of creating these perverted imbalances is simply not tenable anymore.
We have learned very quickly over the last few weeks who is vitally important in our society and who less so, and it’s totally clear to everyone that when we get out the other side of this there needs to be a reckoning of the list concerning Importance Vs Reward.
For all those people out there that are keeping the water flowing, the lights on, the internet going, the food and goods available, the streets safe and those that are ill cared for, you have my admiration and my sincere thanks.
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Best wishes for you and your family
Iain Merchant
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