Suddenly the world is different. Things can change quickly. Life is actually quite fragile. This isn't the first virus and it won't be the last.
Social distancing is a good personal strategy. As is washing hands frequently, especially after you've been out. Sneeze into your arm, avoid touching your nose unless your hands are clean. Start wearing gloves. Thin cotton will do. Latex if you're in frequent contact with people or money. Carry disinfecting wipes. Wipe down phones, doorknobs, handles, light switches, anything that hands touch regularly.
If you are home from work, now is the time to catch up on all those chores you never get around to doing. Cleaning. Sorting. Organizing. Filing. Planning. Getting rid of stuff you never use. Then think about what really matters in life. Here's a simple exercise to get your priorities straight. Imagine a scenario of survival. What will you need? Those are your essential human needs. How do you meet them now? That's your household budget. If life is unaffordable, and you're facing permanent lifetime debt for essential human needs including housing, now is the time to think about what you plan to do about it. This Wiki is filled with realistic action steps you can take to ensure personal and planetary life security.
We will have to get back to work, but starting with types of work that have minimal contact. Delivery. Outdoor planting and gardens. Anything mail-order and online.
It's not just COVID-19. It's not just climate change. It's farms, forests and fisheries worn thin. It's an entire generation, trapped between low wages and high house prices. We need a plan. You need a plan. The government has no plan. It's up to caring parents to solve our known problems now. We can do this. We can give our kids a future. It's not rocket science. We know what to do.
Soon, we'll have to get back to work. But with a new consciousness. We may have a lot more delivery, in packages that can be wiped down. We may use online payments more, to not pass money and germs or viruses from one person to another. We will use gloves a lot more. We will take far greater care to not go to work when not feeling well. We will reconsider how we travel, and how much we travel, and how many people we touch and come in contact with in crowds. We will be very conscious of others when we sneeze. There will be changes, some unanticipated, but one thing is certain. We cannot continue business as usual.
This is about health. Personal and planetary health.
A major factor in the spread of disease is high human populations. Dense populations. Look at our response to a threat to human health! Look at what we can do when we see a problem! Too often, we see a problem and we think 'oh, that'll never change'. We feel powerless and we lose hope. Sometimes we think the problem is too big, too far beyond out control. Can I tell you something? No problem is too big. Our forests are worn thin. We don't have enough trees left for furniture. Well, stop tending to parking meters, just stop. Start planting trees. High human populations and dates set for when we can no longer catch fish in the ocean? All we're asking is that prospective parents think about the world their kids are being born into. Asking parents to be happy with at most 2 kids is not a big ask. Especially when the consequences of not doing that is guaranteeing a grim future now. You might not like that conversation, but that's the math. If you want the facts, read the World Scientists' Warning to Humanity. It's a fast and easy read, coming from the top minds on the planet acting as caring parents without monetary motive.
Dense populations. Degraded conditions. Disease. That's the math, that's the reality. Deal with it. We know what to do. let's do it.