by Pippa Starr
July 18, 2020
There are a lot of reasons to be gloomy in 2020 and they are all more than justified. It leaves us eternal yet struggling optimists with the question, “Is there a bright side to all of this?”
Without disrespecting those and their families who have suffered directly or indirectly through this unprecedented epidemic allow me to try and see if I can entertain the famous Monty Python mantra for a few minutes and lets look at the “brighter side of life” since COVID19 became a pandemic.
If you had shares in Zoom you would have done very well this year. I have been using their platform for 4 years and never thought it would be as massive as it is now. We should be grateful though that we do have amazing technology to lean on I these times. This tech has allowed us to stay connected both with family and work colleagues in way a lot of people would never have normally. Sure, there was a slight learning curve and a new etiquette to learn in group meetings, but I think we can chalk this one as a win.
Businesses have been forced to quickly diversify. Often in business it is extremely easy to simply repeat everyday what has been working for you everyday before, however without trying new things businesses often ignore other ways to realise their potential. For example, many restaurants and cafes have opened a new segment of their operations in supplying quality food to customers directly that would not have in the past. Many businesses would burn their bottom line on face to face business trips that could have otherwise been done via zoom. Some businesses have even learned how to make other products like face masks and sanitizer that they never normally would have diversified into before.
The environmental impacts have been nothing short of amazing in a lot of areas in the world. Dolphins seen swimming in the beautifully clear canals of Venice, clear pastel blue skies over the top of Bombay are just are couple of examples that happened within just a few weeks of the industrial slowdown.
With so many more people working from home than ever before, people are enjoying personal benefits in the way of less commute time going to and from work but also benefits to our environment with less vehicles on the road. Parents have been able to spend more time with their kids in their key times of development. Families are generally keeping more connected with the elder folk in their clan.
Scientists are coming together in a more co-ordinated and cohesive way then ever
seen before to try and “Crack the Code” to this virus to help find the necessary vaccine we all dearly need to get our lives back to our new normal. Advances are being fast tracked like never before in an effort that would normally take many, many years, we expect there could be a real vaccine by halfway through 2021.
For a lot of people, it has been an opportunity to just pause, stop and breathe. A time to reflect for a while in a world that usually operates as hectic as your mind does. That pause has given many people the time to consider where their life is going and to consider their goals. Ok, they are the people without kids mostly, none the less it has been a timely reminder for many that taking time out for themselves is imperative for mental awareness and strength.
I understand that conversely for many this is done alone and may conjure up some darker thoughts. May I say to those people, “there are brighter days coming, it might be hard to see that during this gloomy storm, but after the storm the clouds will pass to a clearer sky. Don’t ever fear or hesitate to chat to great people at Life-Line 131414 and/or Beyond Blue. I know I have before, and it was amazing to offload those gloomy thoughts and find a way to navigate through those with the help of the awesome people in those organisations. There are some amazingly cool people there that are great for an independent chat that will help.
I created a saying many years ago that said “It’s in times of adversity, that brings us positive diversity”. It’s fair to say that 2020 that the word “adversity” just doesn’t quite cover it, but it’s fair to say as well that we as a small little planet of around 7.8 billion people have learned new ways of doing life that has had a lasting impact in many ways that were unimagined before.
Keep looking up and forward! Always look on the bright side of life!
