“These are weird times.” That’s one way to sum up what humanity is going through right now. While the world has seen pandemics before, we’ve never seen one on this scale in our modern society. Luckily, access to information has improved substantially over the years and technology is allowing us to do more and more without ever being in contact with someone, so not everything is grinding to a halt. However, people are so used to being connected to one another that quarantine and self-isolation are taking their toll. Many people transitioned to working from home with little preparation time and have been told to stay home as much as possible. That’s a pretty harsh transition for those of us who were used to being in social environments both in the office and after hours.
While these weird times have clearly had a devastating impact of many facets of humanity, one thing that I haven’t seen be negatively affected, is creativity. Over the last few weeks especially, I’ve been amazed by the ways people have handled the cards they’ve been dealt in creative ways. In the workplace, people are adapting to working remotely while staying connected to their teams through video calls and group chats. With gyms closed, people are adapting their workouts to be done at home with limited resources. Socially, people are doing their best to stay in touch with their friends and family by having meals together over Skype or playing games together online. For businesses, when the virus landed on our doorsteps, restaurants adapted to offering pick-up and delivery, grocery stores have done the same and are offering special hours for seniors and immunocompromised individuals, and nearby brick and mortars joined forces to continue to deliver goods and services to their customers who can no longer visit their stores. Seems like everyone is doing what humans do best: adapting to the circumstances we’re given and overcoming the new challenges.
One of my favorite developments has been the volume of creative content that is coming from people cooped up in their homes trying to keep themselves busy. Countless impressive creations such as paintings, sewing, videos, tutorials, or gardening, just to name a few, have flooded my newsfeeds as people have put their spare time towards their old hobbies or picked up new ones. When the dust settles, I wonder what people will carry forward from this experience. Perhaps we’ll learn to dedicate more time for our hobbies, work remotely more effectively, or have more appreciation for the great outdoors.
What has your personal experience taught you so far?
– Perri Read, Junior Consultant
