We all know what happened in 2020, but what did we learn?
To quote Robert Burns
“The best laid schemes o' mice an' men / Gang aft a-gley.”
After Boris Johnson’s latest announcement causing most of the population to change their Christmas plans, we continue to reflect on what the last year has meant to us.
The pandemic has demonstrated that no institution or individual alone can address the medical, economic, environmental, social and technological challenges of our complex, interdependent world. The pandemic has accelerated systemic changes that were apparent before its inception. The fault lines that emerged in 2020 now appear as critical crossroads in 2021. The time to rebuild trust and to make crucial choices is fast approaching as the need to reset priorities and the urgency to reform systems grow stronger around the world. (World Economic Forum)
What has 2020 taught us?
We paid daily attention to Boris Johnson, Sir Patrick Vallance FMedSci FRS and Professor Chris Whitty CB FMedSc as they presented the findings of SAGE. SAGE first met in response to COVID-19 on 22 January 2020, and experts from academic, public sector, industrial and commercial communities have provided research and information used to formulate advice given to government.
New and commonly used terminology entered our every day vocabulary - Pandemic, Furlough, Unprecedented, Working From Home, Self-Isolation, Social-Distancing, R-Number, Lockdown, Flattening the Curve, Zoom, Coronavirus along with Covid-19. Our conversations were regularly peppered with these references as we came to grips with the impact and subsequent consequences of the virus.
The Importance of Togetherness became increasingly apparent as families, friends, co-workers, school children and college/university students became separated as the country went into Lockdown. Human beings are social animals and we quickly understood just how important being able to be with the people we love and know is, and just how difficult it was for so many to be isolated. Mental Health and Well-Being came to the fore. Hugs, kisses, hand holding, shaking hands and social contact became alie.
On-Line Everything - The Pandemic created a dramatic change in consumer behaviour. E-commerce and online traffic have been growing for years., however, in 2020 the coronavirus has driven customers out of the high street and online in their droves.
Our lives moved On-Line - meetings, game-nights, date nights, tuition, became the Norm. Shopping for food to pretty much everything became our “go to” as panic buying took a grip on the nation. Supermarket websites crashed as people desperately tried to book slots for deliveries. Ocado’s Christmas slots were taken in just five hours, an example of just how reliant many people have become on on-line shopping.
Having faith in others has been omnipresent since the first Lockdown almost nine months ago. We have witnessed Altruism in its true sense - most definitely one of the most positive outcomes of the Pandemic, has seen neighbours, friends, family members, strangers looking out for one another and making sure that those in need of support, received it.
Health is clearly extremely important - without it we are nothing. As Joe Wicks presented his daily PE lessons, people realised just how crucial a healthy body and a healthy mind can be when trying to stay safe. Scheduling in “Me Time” became increasingly important and whether it was taking part in a PE lesson with Joe Wicks or taking a long walk around the park, healthy lifestyle became the “raison d’être” for so many.
Teaching is not easy. Parents, guardians, carers found themselves faced with a baptism of fire known as “home schooling”. Juggling staying at home, working from home, running the house and overseeing children’s learning was extremely challenging. Not every young person had access to devices or computers, which made the task even more difficult. Adults had to bear in mind staying positive and keeping motivation high. Focus - Focus - Focus was paramount and hats off to all the parents and carers
Never stop learning - we were given the gift of time and may people across the World made the most of it. From learning a new language to producing works of art or writing a book, the lockdown gave us the poor unity to lean something new or create something of worth.
Adapting to change - We operate on strict deadlines, however, this pandemic allowed many of us to reprioritise what is really important because the reality is that some things really can wait, and some things are worth waiting for.. We have no control over our plans, but learning to grab control of the little aspects of life that we can control is amazing. Businesses needed to change their approach in order to survive. Those that innovate best will outstrip their rivals. Those that fail to invest in digital solutions are likely to struggle.
Staying positive has not been easy, but it is important to make plans for the future, reminisce but look forward to 2021 - think about all the parts of our lives that have been put on hold, embrace the thought of making intentions to add the simplicity of joy.