Reading through the work whatsapp group that we use to catch up within my team, I could read the silent yearning for human interaction as we were used to. The customary good mornings and pleasntary exchanges at work as you pick up your coffee or approach the elevator and many more daily routines like recapturing the activities of the weekend or even weekly work related meetings have all been put to bed over the past couple of weeks and months. Essentially capturing the quite unprecedented times we find ourselves, to put things mildly. While we get used to the new vocabulary and lingua items like Stay home, Social distancing, PPE, Quarantine, Isolation, lockdown, curfew, essential services – just to mention a few, we are also rekindling the sometime forgotten basic hygiene necessity of washing our hands frequently and protecting our personal space.
I think it is fairly a lot to handle and can understand where the many of us that yearn daily for this to be over already are coming from. I believe we all understand that this is a price to be paid for the safety of all and by all means should try as much as possible to stay at home if we are not on the frontline of essential care and service providers. However we shouldn’t be hard on ourselves for wanting to start 2020 again or erase the horrible events of the past few months that has seen us lose many accross the globe and quite a significant fighting for their lives under the care of our very brave health service providers. On behalf of the many of us trying to keep the world ticking from the comfort and sometime lonely circumference of our homes and on behalf of those that have not been so lucky with making a livelihood without normalcy or financial support, I say thank you to all of you out there on the frontline for the support over the past few months.
Undoubtedly, none of us could see this coming, perhaps a few might have predicted it but if they had a lot of conviction and right audience on the potential impending danger – we might have stood a better chance. So, we do not need to be hard on ourselves but rather take this as a lesson not to ever be caught off guard again. The perentages might make things seem mild, but I am not sure we can ever put a number on the cost or impact of a life lost, especially to those who have been hit by the loss of a loved one. They know better and deserve our empathy, prayers and comfort in these trying times.
Life as we know it has done a makeover in the last few months, and we must find a way to adapt to the new look going forward and re-invent our next look which would ultimately be a fight for our survival for the coming years and generations unborn. Pointing fingers and stiring conspiriacy theories might be an easy coping mechanism at some point or as a matter of fact in play already, however we must not give them room to grow. Post-Mortems and Business Continuity Plans might need a rethink and become utmost necessities when this is all over but the demand for now is to stay home to prevent spread, while our health and medical professionals cater for the sick, find a cure and develop preventive measures for the future. That is all that matters for now. In fact the only life policy that should be on our lips, and within legislative and policy quarters. We have got to think and act. And our businesses have to more than ever balance the impact of cost and adaptability into the solutions and services they offer.
It is not the time for greed, power play, sentimental anger or selfishness even though they might seem to be a soothing and convenient choice at this time. I believe, it is time for constant care, collaboration, trust, accountability, ownership and believe while we function within our respective areas of influence. That is all we can do, while we pray to God to intervene and guide our path to the end of the tunnel.
BJA | TDM 