3 Big Ideas I’ve had about Covid-19

I didn’t want to talk about Covid-19 again but at the same time, I feel like I have a few big ideas about this past year that I think are notable for us to analyze and reflect on. We have seen such sweeping changes in a short amount of time it is important to check in and see what that means.

I am a constant thinker. It is one of the best things about me and also one of the worst. For this reason, I decided to take you with me down this analytical rabbit hole about Covid 19 and its impact on our modern world as we know it.

The problems Covid-19 showed us won’t be solved until we fix major labour issues.

It is clear by the numbers in Ontario that a majority of outbreaks have happened in workplaces. This is not unusual. Most of the workplaces listed were jobs that had low paying entry-level positions. These are “essential workers” those who cannot do their jobs from home.

If you have ever worked in these industries you understand the type of labour that is involved. Many of these jobs require long hours for low pay. While that may not seem like the worst to some, the main issue is these jobs have very little job protection and often no benefits such as sick pay.

For this reason, many people working in these jobs often make the difficult choice to go to work when they are not fully prepared to do so. Illness is secondary to making rent and putting food on the table and that is a common life experience for many. While some people such as myself were fortunate to leave the industry many do not have that luxury or privilege of choice.

This is important to consider. If we had better labour protections, we could guarantee the safety of millions even in times of crisis. People should be able to go to work and feel safe and secure. Everyone deserves sick pay and job protections. As long as we demand “stuff” we should accept and respect the rights of workers who make that stuff or serve us that stuff. We can’t spend the next 50 years on this same continuum. It costs lives.

Whether it’s this virus or something else, Individualism will only bring us down in the long run.

If you follow That Middle on social media, you will know that I have recently had a public breakup with the philosophy of Individualism. I am here to let you know that is still the case.

When I speak of Individualism in this context I mean it in relation to this pandemic. It seems to me that our hedonistic love for individualism has blinded us. How is it that in a time of global crisis people in the West are more concerned about their individual rights and preferences during a time that demands collective effort? It is a jarring reflection of where our world has gone.

We need to work together in order to solve the pandemic instead of standing proudly divided. We won’t experience change until we put our pride aside and participate in this as a team.

The mask debate has been one of individual choice. Getting a vaccine seems to also be a decision that is based on “what is right for you” instead of what is right for the public. There are hundreds that gather, together, to protest the importance of their individual rights.

Why do we believe that our individual rights trump that of the general society in times of absolute crisis?

A friendly reminder, World War II was largely aided by regular citizens of Allied countries working together and doing everything they can to solve that problem. They were working towards a common goal…so with that in mind why would a time like this be any different? Nobody is an island.

Efforts to combat Covid-19 need to be done as a group whether that’s staying at home when you have to or by supporting those who are going into these work settings often not by choice.

Unless we came down with the illness or have a close connection to someone who has, we must be mindful that our experience with Covid-19 is largely through screens.

For the most part, you don’t actually ‘see’ Covid-19. Sure it’s everywhere and you see it on your phone or computer but that’s just it. You’re seeing it through something else.

Unless you are a healthcare worker or someone in a job that requires you to be on-site to perform your tasks you aren’t actually dealing with the day-to-day of the world currently. For the most part, if you have been staying at home as instructed by your local government you are experiencing this pandemic through a screen. That’s not the same as other people who have experienced pandemics in the past like in the 1918 Flu Pandemic.

Our lives are almost exclusively curated and experienced virtually thanks to large data servers across the world. With restrictions in place that existence has been our world for over a year. I want to remind all of us that this is a new phenomenon.

It’s never going to feel like what we think a pandemic feels like. Certainly not while we are relegated to experiencing it at home. That’s ok. That’s actually a good thing.

What that means is we need to put things in perspective. If we feel like we are only seeing negative news then we probably have consumed a frequent amount in recent time and that is something to be mindful of. Or perhaps things are just starting to feel less real. That too is normal. Living life through a screen is not normal. Why would any part of this process feel natural when it’s connected to an ethernet cable? When things become too much we need to be able to take a step back and ask ourselves why we are doing this and how can we make life a little easier for ourselves.

I want to take a minute to remind you to be patient, kind, diligent, and respectful. With both yourself and the world. These things take time. 

At the end of the day, these issues won’t be solved overnight. We have a lot of things to consider. I just want to bring up these ideas to get the conversation going.

What do you think?

Have you considered these ideas before?

I would love to hear what you have to say below.