The Coronavirus Crisis Is Going to Upend Our World in a Way We Can’t Really Fathom
Figured I was long overdue for an update. With lockdown still in effect, I have no longer have much of an excuse.
Isolation is an odd word in our new reality. As a society we have never been so connected. The world is just a click away and it seems (to me at least) that we have never communicated so much.
Annoyingly so in fact.
From my jaded eyeballs, I attempt to spend my days keeping busy. Sighting in glass, doing chores/DIY projects and generally speaking, watching the world go by with a sense of general dismay and yet unperturbed.
I read the daily briefings from the FT and then try to ignore the rest of the noise. It seems the narrative is tangled between positivity and negativity. Both skewed and off the mark. As always.
It’s tragic that I am in a situation where my mindset has insulated me from any harm, but you still end up seeing entire communities suffer. I saw the supply lines breakdown coming a mile away. I pre-booked my food deliveries months ago. Staggered. Every 10 days.
When everyone was freaking out about toilet paper becoming a scarce resource, I was helping impeding the girl from gardening. Because I had nothing but time on my hands.
I don’t even remember the last time I felt panic. Perhaps during my home invasion?
I still remember when the power went out for nearly a week in Canada. In December.
It was annoying, but we had supplies and just plodded along spending time with our neighbour. Eating deer. Over a firestove.
Because we prepare.
6 million people applied for unemployment benefits stateside. Look up how many applied for them in 2009 and really feel a sense of dread. This crisis is going to upend our world in a way we can’t really fathom.
From an increased reliance on decentralized workers (and the subsequent impact in commercial realty) to our spending habits & collective accumulated debt. It’s a house of cards and once again speculative traders are running rampant squeezing a few bucks ignoring the signs in the sand.
If I hear another wall street employee mention the bounce back in equities I think I may consider buying a cabin in the woods and hiding out with the girl and our clowder of cats.
If you have the stomach to endure butchered ramblings, I wrote about this here.
I could start writing about The Donald and his crack team of “Officials to re-open America council” which interestingly doesn’t feature a single economist nor healthcare professional. Amazing. Big brain. Super genius.
Folks, when I run out of wine and cigars, we can really start to worry because I won’t be able to sedate myself on this platform any longer and I will break my own no politics rule.
What really gets to me with this whole scenario is how oblivious everyone is to this whole pandemic. The WHO pointed out that Covid-19 will stalk humanity.
Interesting choice of words.
When our economies crumble under debt obligations, rampant unemployment and renewed clannish rhetoric which will cause further fractures in our society, how much humanity will really remain?
Employers are already taking advantage of suspended labour laws to cut out expensive employees. But don’t worry folks, its temporary. No doubt corporations will bring manufacturing back to the west and not double down on cheap labour from the east in an effort to cut costs.
Right?
The French crafted a word, Amertume and as I witness the inmates run the asylum, I find myself drowning in it.