Reflection on the pandemic

[Erederyn]

It’s wild that it’s almost a year since the pandemic started. I know many people are tired of talking about the pandemic, but I recently saw a survey in which they found that about 80% of respondents want significant change in a post-pandemic world and about two-thirds want their own lives to change too (https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/09/sustainable-equitable-change-post-coronavirus-survey/). I found this really interesting and uplifting and was curious if others here felt the same.  

What are some things you want to see change, whether on a large-scale level or on a personal level?

What’s something that turned out to be a positive for you during the pandemic? (This is not to downplay the very real and terrible effects the pandemic has had on people’s lives). While the end is still months away, what are some things you’re looking forward to doing once we can return to a degree of “normalcy”?

For me, I hope that people will have a greater sense of social responsibility. I also hope that there will be more investment in welfare, well-being, accessibility, and healthcare on a structural level. On a personal level, I want to be more conscientious of how I spend my time. 

Something that turned out to be a positive is being able to work from home, which has been so beneficial for me. I have more energy and more time. I usually struggle a lot with winter depression, but not having to go into work has helped enormously. When we are able to do more things, I’m really looking forward to going out on the town and dancing. I also really want to be able to hug my friends again.

What about you all?

[roboticanary]

I'm not sure I find it uplifting that so many people want change. The link you give shows the prompt as:

“I want the world to change significantly and become more sustainable and equitable rather than returning to how it was before the COVID-19 crisis”.

I don't really put much meaning into that, certainly if i were asked a similar question outside a pandemic I would find it hard to say that I dont want the world to be more sustainable or more equitable.

I suppose on a personal level there are a few things I want to change. I want to keep make sure the online meetups and chatting that I have got involved with stay after the pandemic is over. Before I didn't really do social media but now I am finding a few communities that I am happy talking with so I want to keep that.

Also I really hope i can keep up the financial sense which has been useful in the pandemic. Even before I wasn't daft but the fact that I am never having meals out at the moment and never going to events or holidaying has slowly added up. I think it would be good if I can put money away at a rate somewhere between what I am doing now and what I was before.

[Erederyn]

10 hours ago, roboticanary said:

I'm not sure I find it uplifting that so many people want change. The link you give shows the prompt as:

“I want the world to change significantly and become more sustainable and equitable rather than returning to how it was before the COVID-19 crisis”.

I don't really put much meaning into that, certainly if i were asked a similar question outside a pandemic I would find it hard to say that I dont want the world to be more sustainable or more equitable.

I get that, and I think that's also a valid way to look at it. I suppose I view it as more people becoming aware of the dire situation we were already in before the pandemic. Unfortunately, things like climate change and civil rights activism are viewed as "leftist hobbies" in many places. But there is more of a mainstream awakening to the fact that society is vulnerable and fragile. The faults and gaps in our societies have been laid bare now.

For example, I work in mental health care, and I've been pushing my department to take structural factors into account, especially for those who have disadvantaged backgrounds. But it was always dismissed as "pff, we're psychologists/psychiatrists, we focus on the individual." Now the field of psychiatry/mental health has been shocked awake and realizing that they are useless when it comes to dealing with larger institutional/structural problems. I was frustrated at first that it took such a horrible event to push people, but I'm trying to take it a positive shift regardless.

In a perfect world, there would already have been a mainstream movement towards sustainability and equity without needing such a catalyst. And I think the impact of the pandemic would have been mitigated if change was already the cultural hegemony. So I see it more as the push for sustainability and equity becoming more mainstream, even if it was there already.

10 hours ago, roboticanary said:

I suppose on a personal level there are a few things I want to change. I want to keep make sure the online meetups and chatting that I have got involved with stay after the pandemic is over. Before I didn't really do social media but now I am finding a few communities that I am happy talking with so I want to keep that.

Also I really hope i can keep up the financial sense which has been useful in the pandemic. Even before I wasn't daft but the fact that I am never having meals out at the moment and never going to events or holidaying has slowly added up. I think it would be good if I can put money away at a rate somewhere between what I am doing now and what I was before.

I'm with you there! I was really hesitant to get involved online before, at first I did it because I felt I didn't have much choice, but now I'm really happy I took that step. I've also saved much more money the past year, and while I was also pretty good at managing my finances before, it's definitely made me think much more about where my money was going. I hope you can keep up with both! 

[Apathetic Echidna]

I'm really hoping that people in the Australian cities haven't forgotten the fires. I feel that the virus has taken over the news for so long that the devastation of the fires seems a million miles away. We haven't had a bad fire season this year but I hope the protections and policy changes that were getting momentum before the virus manage to be implemented. 

Lots of people say the lockdowns have helped the appreciate nature more. So I hope it is reflected by some activism in the future, because it seems the government used the virus as a distraction to blind people to all the environmental law reviews happening.

Also, no-one talks about the swine fever still working it's way around the world as it has been for the past 4 years. I think a lot of things have been slipping out of public view/awareness. But those paying attention to the things they care about have had the time to look into those things deeply, so I think there will be some good thoughts about how to face the future, if those people speak to enough ears. 

[roboticanary]

 

4 hours ago, Erederyn said:

 I suppose I view it as more people becoming aware of the dire situation we were already in before the pandemic.

Thats a good take I didn't really think about, hopefully it does spark some change.

 

5 hours ago, Erederyn said:

For example, I work in mental health care, and I've been pushing my department to take structural factors into account, especially for those who have disadvantaged backgrounds. But it was always dismissed as "pff, we're psychologists/psychiatrists, we focus on the individual." Now the field of psychiatry/mental health has been shocked awake and realizing that they are useless when it comes to dealing with larger institutional/structural problems. I was frustrated at first that it took such a horrible event to push people, but I'm trying to take it a positive shift regardless.

ouch. that sucks. Hope you have some success pushing them to be better.

[Holmbo]

I'm very active in climate change and environmental topics so I hope those protests start up again. Extinction rebellion are planning a huge disruption in Oslo for all activists in Nordic countries at the end of August, hopefully we'll be able to go through with it

I think the positive aspects is mostly appreciating all the things we can't do atm. In the future whenever I'm tired and don't feel like making an effort to meet up with people or going out I'll be thinking how much I missed that during the pandemic. Cause I really enjoy being around people.

[Erederyn]

On 2/14/2021 at 12:27 PM, Apathetic Echidna said:

I'm really hoping that people in the Australian cities haven't forgotten the fires. I feel that the virus has taken over the news for so long that the devastation of the fires seems a million miles away. We haven't had a bad fire season this year but I hope the protections and policy changes that were getting momentum before the virus manage to be implemented. 

Lots of people say the lockdowns have helped the appreciate nature more. So I hope it is reflected by some activism in the future, because it seems the government used the virus as a distraction to blind people to all the environmental law reviews happening.

Also, no-one talks about the swine fever still working it's way around the world as it has been for the past 4 years. I think a lot of things have been slipping out of public view/awareness. But those paying attention to the things they care about have had the time to look into those things deeply, so I think there will be some good thoughts about how to face the future, if those people speak to enough ears. 

Yeah, unfortunately many things have been pushed aside. It's understandable that the pandemic is at the foreground now, but I think some governments might be using it as an excuse to ignore other things. Really is a shame.

I definitely agree about appreciating nature more because of the lockdowns! I'm grateful more than ever to have a park within walking distance. I saw a rise in volunteering for the community gardens in my area, perhaps this is happening in other places. 

On 2/14/2021 at 7:17 PM, Holmbo said:

I'm very active in climate change and environmental topics so I hope those protests start up again. Extinction rebellion are planning a huge disruption in Oslo for all activists in Nordic countries at the end of August, hopefully we'll be able to go through with it

I think the positive aspects is mostly appreciating all the things we can't do atm. In the future whenever I'm tired and don't feel like making an effort to meet up with people or going out I'll be thinking how much I missed that during the pandemic. Cause I really enjoy being around people.

I'm sure the protests will start up again, sooner or later. People also have a lot of pent up energy (and anger, I'm sure), so maybe even more will be motivated to mobilize.  

That's a good point about appreciating the things we can't do now. I didn't really think about using that as a motivator in the future, but you're right. I think many others will also feel that way, really putting in the effort to connect and make time for others. 

[alto]

I am so happy staying at home all the time, and I am happy with the friends I have.  I just wanna keep like this...

[Erederyn]

On 2/16/2021 at 11:46 PM, alto said:

I am so happy staying at home all the time, and I am happy with the friends I have.  I just wanna keep like this...

Hahaha, I understand that. I've become such a homebody, like my introvertedness has just increased. Looking back, I sometimes think how excessive it was that I was going out of the house every single daaay. I do still look forward to having more freedom again, but I'd be happy with not having to go out as much (especially in winter).