What if COVID shaped our future?

by Chris Taylor

From a holistic perspective, the natural state of a living body, be it a human being, a whole species, or even an entire eco-system, is one of health – a state of dynamic equilibrium that creates a sense of thriving and abundance. Disease appears when something is out of balance – when there is too much or too little of something. As a result, dynamic, ever-changing balance is not possible – there is dis-ease.

The indigenous peoples of the world may be on to something then when they say that COVID has come as a wake-up call. For sure it has been a painful and deadly reminder of human vulnerability. What else might this situation be teaching us about what needs to be different for life to thrive? If we used this crisis to take real time to deeply reflect on the future we want, what questions might arise to guide us? Here are eight suggestions, in no particular order:

What We Know 1: COVID jumped species from wild animals to humans[1]. It seems that as we press ever harder against the edges of the wild and remote places on the planet, we come into contact with new diseases that can jump the species barrier and become deadly for human life. SARS, MERS and now COVID are examples of these “novel viruses”.

What if we started to see parts of the world as sacrosanct again, rather than seeing the whole as one big shopping mall that is ours to raid? What if we treated the world as sacred?

What We Know 2: Our Cities are Unhealthy Places. The worst COVID hot spots were often cities where overcrowding leads to easy transmission. The stress of city life also leaves us fearful, undermining our sense of vitality and agency and often subverting our immune system. Meanwhile, in the countryside, the fear is somewhat reduced, nature acts as a healer and there is greater freedom to wander. What if all our communities were based around green open spaces and designed to promote health, vitality and connection?

What We Know 3: COVID spread rapidly around the world. In this massively connected world, where long-haul travel has become common place, things travel fast – news, rumours, information and disease.

What if we slowed down on global travel, seeing it as a quest for knowledge and understanding instead of our playtime, business development or one long series of conferences, conventions and symposia. What if travel became a pilgrimage?

What We Know 4: When the economy stops, ecology returns. We have seen almost instant changes to the natural world as a consequence of lockdown. Air pollution has dropped by up to 50%. Rivers have started running clear and seismologists have noticed the normal background rumble of industry and transport has reduced by at least 30%. Animals are roaming deserted city streets. What if we actively set up our society for the regeneration of all life (and only this)?

What We Know 5: We can stop the world economy if we want to. Lockdown came at different points in different nations but come it did. When human life is this much under threat, government can do the unthinkable. And if they understand and agree with the purpose, people will play their part too. This has come at massive cost. In some Central American countries up to half of the population have been made unemployed overnight. Arundhati Roy describes here the chaos that ensued for migrant workers in India. That said, we have seen what is possible when the world acts with single-pointed intention. What if the world treated the Climate and Ecological Emergency with the same focus as COVID? What if we stopped the existing extractive, destructive economy? What if we built a new world economy to serve Nature’s regeneration (and only that)?

What We Know 6: We are prepared to make sacrifices to safeguard the most vulnerable. We have made many sacrifices during these weeks of lockdown and social distancing. Some of these were motivated by keeping ourselves and our loved ones safe. Many were also designed to shield the most vulnerable. What if society valued all lives equally?

What We Know 7: In a crisis, the lowest paid are suddenly the most essential. COVID has stripped away the veil of status and prestige. Those who are paid most in our society suddenly become slightly irrelevant. Those who are unseen and undervalued are now called Key Workers or Essential Workers. Carers, cleaners, shop workers, agricultural labourers, delivery drivers. These are the people we really rely on to make our lives work. What if all work was seen as equal?

What We Know 8: Those with pre-existing health conditions are most vulnerable. Studies suggest that you are up to 10 times more likely to die from a COVID infection if you have a pre-existing heart or lung condition. Those with multiple conditions are most at risk. What if our Health Services were focussed on keeping us healthy rather than curing diseases? What if diet, exercise, emotional wellbeing and clean environments were placed at the centre? What if society placed a central focus on creating healthy, thriving people and communities?

Often in life, the greatest learning comes from the most challenging situations. If we take on the mindset that every crisis, challenge or disruption is an opportunity for radical reimagination, then COVID can be a spur to consider deeply what we want to change and where we want our civilisation to go next. As we have seen, just about anything is possible if we put our collective will behind it.

At Oasis School of Human Relations we are preparing for the world after COVID. We are committed to Reimagining The Future and to Radical Reinvention (two of the five responses to COVID we have identified here). This work continues a thirty-year lineage of engaging with organisations and change makers from across the globe and in all sectors – business, community, public and third sector. This is our own contribution to the ongoing human journey, to the awakening of potential, the broadening of consciousness and to acting as though people and planet really matter.

[1] https://www.livescience.com/new-coronavirus-origin-bats.html