Monday 23 March 2020

System Failure? Covid 19

Anyone who lives in the Western context lives in a system. This is the way governments work to have a nation be safe, productive and healthy.  Government parties wrestle over these very issues.  If there is a glitch in any one of these there is a general unease / unrest.  The Covid 19 Pandemic has the potential to hit all three of these in combination and as a 'pandemic' underlines, it's global.  To be more peaceful and calm need to ask ourselves, 'is the system failing?' 

Firstly, systems have rules.  Those who keep the system going can break the rules.  For example, in some cases, mortgage payments have been frozen.  That is an enormous rule change that means money may be lost by financial institutions.  Other rules have also been broken.  People are being locked down in their homes, social distancing making people safe from one another.  We are controlling the system!  Maybe the President / King / Prime minister is making the decisions, but you and I can control the system by bringing it to a halt.  The UK came to a halt last night, lockdown! Australia has not done this yet.  But as the system grinds to a halt it is people IN CONTROL of the system.

Much fear and anxiety is because many feel everything is out of control.  It isn't. 

But isn't Corona Virus out of control?  In some places who didn't control their system, yes.  But the vast majority are now grinding the system to a halt, something  Covid 19 cannot work with.  A system shutdown will have an effect on the economy, jobs, incomes etc but when the system starts up again, we are still in control.  I have things to lose in all this but money can't get sick!  Every time we practice social distancing, lockdown, basically doing as told at this time, we control the system and therefore halt Covid 19 in its tracks. 

The unemployed will get work.  The sick can recover.  Finance doesn't have mysterious forces controlling it.  Exhale, take some deep breaths (a distance from anyone else) and begin to envisage a world in recovery and the part you are playing by simply doing what's right.  You are IN CONTROL! 

Gary Ward