When this is all over, will society ever be the same?

I watched the sun rise on mother’s day.

It is difficult to sleep these days, thoughts swirling in my mind like a tumble dryer. Will my parents in Spain make it through this nightmare? Will my business survive? Am I ok?

There are no answers to those questions so far, and the unknown is the hardest thing not to think about.

I can’t help but wonder, will COVID-19 allow us to go back to the same values we had created as a society pre-coronavirus? Or do we even want that?

While we isolate and keep social distancing, I’ve never felt closer to my loved ones. 

I might not be able to hug them and kiss them, but the level of intimacy and contact by simply calling someone, sharing our fears and laughing about toilet paper, are creating strong bonds all around the world.

We have seen tremendous acts of kindness in the last couple of weeks.

Chinese doctors have flown to Italy to help. Food businesses are cooking for our doctors and nurses in the front line. Neighbours are checking in on the elderly and ensuring they are ok.

When this is all over, will society ever be the same?

I hope not.

Consumerism, capitalism and greed had “infected” our lives pre COVID-19. As a silent virus that spread worldwide, making many rich but many more poor or just making ends meet. The way we think TODAY, is totally different than a few weeks ago.

All of a sudden, health is top of our priority list. Our own and that of our loved ones, which is the way it should have always been. It does not matter if you can afford a new car, or that pair of shoes winking at you from the window display anymore. It does not matter that you can’t book a lavish holiday in a 5* resort. All it matter is that we are safe and healthy.

Life was complicated prior to COVID-19, society pressured you into what modern values wanted you to be. Which box did you belong to, and why did you belong there? The size of that box was determined by your bank balance.

But when confronted with dead, WE ARE ALL THE SAME.

While we see scenes of devastation in Hospitals on TV, it all seems like a movie, a devastating story made up for Hollywood.

A virus, has turned our values upside down. A virus that came from nature, from an animal, has made us remember what really matters, the simple things in life that really makes us happy: The kindness of people and the closeness to our loved ones.

Is nature putting us in our box? Locking us up for weeks, maybe months, so we have time to re-valuate and change our ways?

I hope that when all this is over, we remember these few weeks and the lessons we have learnt. I hope we don’t go back to what we used to be, I hope it will never bother me again if I can afford a trip to a lavish island.

We have spent years abusing our natural habitat, against the warnings of many experts. We have killed millions of trees, entire forests, misplaced wild animals or extinguish them completely in many cases. We have littered our oceans and rivers, the air we breathe and stepped over our own human neighbours on the quest of oil, or land, or money.

And now we find ourselves confined to our homes and wondering what will be. Poor and rich, black and white, Catholics and Muslims. All of a sudden none of that matters, we are all the same, and we all need to pull together to fight something bigger than own our views or pre-conceived believes.

Let’s remember this lesson forever, we need to look after our habitat, our planet, and that of other species, if we don’t, this won’t be the last time we find ourselves stock at home, or worse confined to a hospital bed.

Stay safe

Raquel