How a pandemic might save us from ourselves

We know full well the cost of the current pandemic — lost lives, lost jobs, shuttered businesses, personal isolation, suffering at the community and individual level. Traumatic events are always opportunities for growth and change, however. Here is a short list of ways in which the pandemic might save us from ourselves.

• By greatly damaging the oil industry, leading to the lowest yield and most destructive extraction methods no longer being profitable (tar sands, fracking), forcing closures of business and depreciation of infrastructure that imposes significant barriers to future re-entry.
• By triggering a long overdue economic recession (ie. deleveraging), giving political grounds for massive infrastructure spending in better energy infrastructure and public works to maintain full employment.
• By initiating acceptance of work from home policies, reducing congestion, stress, alleviating the economic barriers imposed by real estate prices and opening up greater liquidity and meritocracy in labor markets
• By giving citizens of heavily industrialized areas an opportunity, possibly the first in their lives, to see their homes pollution free, galvanizing pro-environmental sentiment and demonstrating that significant change is within reach
• By placing universal access to health care front and center everywhere where its not already mandated by law
• By uniting previously divided parties, people and nations together in a common cause for the benefit of all humanity regardless of class or creed.
• By showing everyone, everywhere, that mental health is as important as physical well-being to living productive, happy lives.
• By re-affirming in all our hearts and mind’s that the thing we miss most is each other, and not the opportunity for shopping, spending, and consumption.

Yesterday we stood divided, today we stand apart, tomorrow we will stand together.