Five green shoots of hope

A week or so ago we were instructed to continue with the #COVID19 Lock Down for at least another three weeks. I didn't flinch when I heard because this reality has become normal so quickly. I am lucky to have a safe home that enables me to say that.

I do not for one second underestimate the heartache the pandemic is causing around the globe: there is a person and family behind every single number; there is grief, loss and worry. People are bravely working in difficult circumstances and there is an exponential increase in domestic abuse.

COVID19 is not the great leveller those in positions of privilege and power claim it is. It discriminates. There is a disproportionate impact on communities already experiencing social, health and economic inequalities including those from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic Communities. The immediate and longer term financial impact on individuals, families, charities, social enterprises and the economy more widely is, frankly, eye-wateringly bad.

I care - and we should all care - deeply about the pain and do all we can to address it. There are some less often talked about green shoots of hope.

  1. Whatever our lived experiences and struggles, overall we have adapted to the restriction on the way we live with enormous stoicism, determination and humour at tremendous speed. 
  2. We have taken a crash course in emotional literacy: asking each other how we are, and properly waiting for the answer rather than walking on by. We have found the freedom to acknowledge the good days and bad days without pathologising emotions or mental health. 
  3. There are countless acts of kindness and care in neighbourhoods and communities: people volunteering time and expertise, shopping for those who cannot get to the shops, walking dogs for those who cannot go out, sending care packages, cards and gifts, taking on fundraising challenges and donating to all sorts of important issues. 
  4. Folk doing important and often undervalued jobs in the NHS and beyond are being recognised for the life changing, lifesaving and important work they do. (No (further) comment on the hashtag #ClapforCarers - suppresses childish giggle), 
  5. Deep rooted inequalities are being amplified by COVID19. Whilst not nearly enough is being done to tackle these, there are some changes in the national conversation. Take homelessness for example. Can we really go back to the way we were?
There are doubtless huge challenges ahead. The future holds tremendous uncertainty and deep down we must all be realising that we cannot go back to the old normal.

I hope we are learning that a different, kinder, more equal world is necessary and that a different kinder and more equal world is possible.

If there is to be any upside from COVID19 it has to be that we take courage in our ability as human beings to adapt to challenging circumstances, and that we double down on our determination to turn the dream of a better, kinder, more equitable world into a reality. 

  

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