COVID Will Change Us All
We are passing through one of the most remarkable moments in recent history. It is changing the world’s health, politics, economy, and environment. And it will change us too — forever.
April 25, 2020
It’s hard to think of anything that has changed our lives more than the COVID-19 pandemic.
It has already infected nearly 3 million people worldwide, and killed well over two hundred thousand. And, no matter what we do, those numbers will rise sharply in the coming days and weeks. Before this is done, we will all lose someone we know, someone we love.
Beyond the tragic deaths and immediate health impacts, the pandemic has wreaked havoc on the global economy as well, causing massive unemployment and widespread business failures. Most disturbing: The loss of jobs may mean the loss of health insurance for many, especially in the United States, which will compound this health disaster.
The pandemic is also disrupting our mental health and social cohesion. We are isolated, sheltering in place, fearful, and anxious about the future. We may be far from the ones we love, worried about them. Our normal social support networks are broken, or only available on Zoom.
Many of us have never felt so alone.
And the leaders we should to look to for comfort, inspiration, and a sense of direction are failing us.
We don’t have a John Kennedy, a Barack Obama, or a Walter Cronkite on television anymore. Instead, we have a president who is literally killing people with his ego and ineptitude, rather than following the advice of doctors and scientists. And we have media outlets whose entire business models are based on scaring us and dividing the nation. And it’s working.
With a few notable exceptions, we are leaderless now. Our nation is drifting, spiraling, fighting with itself. And we have completely lost our standing as the “leader of the free world”. Even the idea is a joke.
It’s difficult to know when this will all end. But, at some point, the pandemic will be over.
Then what? What kind of world will we go back to?
I don’t know. Nobody does. But one thing is clear: It won’t be the same world we had before. It will be different. Maybe better. Maybe worse. That’s still up to us.
I’ve been thinking about how this experience might change us. Despite all of the death, destruction, and heartache, maybe we can learn from this experience and move forward with a renewed sense of purpose and solidarity?
Maybe we will be a wiser people. Maybe we will be a better one too.
I think COVID-19 will change how we take care of ourselves and our loved ones in the future.
We will be better prepared. Not just by stockpiling toilet paper and hand sanitizers, but by building more robust health care systems, more emergency stockpiles, and better global monitoring systems. We also need more resilient supply chains and financial tools.
We can’t be caught like this again.
And I hope we learn to respect our mental health and overall wellbeing, not just our physical health. This epidemic killed and sickened many, and it will leave mental scars on many more.
COVID-19 will also affect our relationship with the environment. Short term, we have seen air quality and wildlife rebound as we’re locked in our homes. But this is only temporary, and no one should be advocating death and disease as a way of addressing our environmental issues. That’s simply monstrous.
In the coming months and years, we will likely change the way we live in a post-COVID world, and maybe some of that will help the environment, especially climate change. For example, we might commute and fly a lot less, and use video-conferencing much more. We might be more frugal, as the economy tries to restart, and avoid wasteful purchases like gas-guzzling SUVs, big fancy homes, the latest disposable fashions, and frequent vacations. Maybe we’ll spend our money closer to home, save more, and be more thoughtful about what we buy.
Long term, I hope we develop a much deeper respect for nature, and how it’s connected to our lives — including our health. We have to recognize that the ongoing destruction of ecosystems — breaking down ecologically-balanced networks that kept many diseases at bay — has an impact on us. Many new diseases like COVID-19 came from the destruction of ecosystems, the wildlife and bushmeat trade, and poorly regulated livestock production.
We need to learn that our health is connected to the health of the planet. If the planet ails, we will too.
“…no one should be advocating death and disease as a way of addressing our environmental issues. That’s simply monstrous.”
I certainly hope that this experience will teach us to respect science. We have a president, and numerous governors, who ignore the advice of science and medicine. And this is — without a doubt — leading to additional illness and death.
But it’s hardly surprising. Many political leaders have made a habit of attacking science — cutting funding, censoring research, attacking scientists. It’s good sport for politicians and media pundits, but it will kill people.
Whether it’s the science of pandemics or climate change, we must listen to the real experts, be guided by their data and models, and ensure that we invest in future research. It may save our lives.
It will also change our view of leaders. We may develop a deeper appreciation of servant leadership — not just blustering, bullying, and narcissism.
Real leadership isn’t a television game show. It’s not about ratings. It’s about lives.
Ironically, as the U.S. federal government’s leadership has utterly failed, we have seen impressive leadership emerge from American cities, states, corporations, and non-profits. Strangely, President Trump’s catastrophic failure of leadership may have ignited other leadership across America — leadership in towns and cities, in states, and in corporations and non-profits across the nation.
“Real leadership isn’t a television game show. It’s not about ratings. It’s about lives.”
This experience will also change the way we see the value of our individual actions. We are learning that they matter much more than we think.
Change happens when all levels of a system — from the individual to the community, to the nation, to the world — work together towards a common goal. Leaders cannot stop a pandemic alone; they need the active involvement of everyday people too. We all have a role to play, whether in addressing COVID-19 or other issues, like climate change.
In short, we might learn that our actions do matter, but they must also be coordinated with larger collective efforts and policy.
And maybe it will wake us up to the most important things in our life. Perhaps we can look beyond our divisions, and see that we cherish and value the same fundamental things: life, freedom, family, the future.
Maybe, if we’re lucky, this experience will help unite us. Maybe we can dream together of a better world, a world that we want to build for our children and the generations that follow us. A better world for everyone, regardless of background. For Republicans. For Democrats. For people of all colors. For all nationalities and ethnicities. For all genders and orientations. For all of us.
That’s my greatest wish.
Dr. Jonathan Foley (@GlobalEcoGuy) is a climate & environmental scientist, writer, and speaker. He is also the Executive Director of Project Drawdown, the world’s leading resource for climate solutions.
These views are his own.
Copyright © 2015–2020, Jonathan Foley. All rights reserved.
