Covid-19 pounced on us seemingly unannounced, although health and environmental experts and scientists have for long warned about incumbent crises; the virus made its way very swiftly. And now is very much feared.
Covid-19 is clearly showing us what life would be if we do not act seriously on climate change prevention, as climate change will certainly bring more shocks and catastrophes.
What is also apparent is that Coronavirus has cut emissions faster than years of climate negotiations.
Last but not least, it is also noticeable that the whole world has acted big and fast, responding to an urgent crisis, although, disappointedly, any sign of a meaningful global response has missed.
I am looking at the world around me, but I am afraid that corona virus is not bringing the reflection I was hoping for. I wished people would sit at home wondering and questioning about human beings’ flaws and blunders.
But what I see is that we are transposing at home the same neurosis we had fabricated outside; video-calls and conferences, webinars, Skype and zooms, all througout the day people are overly busy in pretending things have not changed.
Nonetheless, things have changed.
I wonder whether we should, instead, be silent.
Unplugging and disconnecting from what we have created, carving out time for ourselves, and thinking.
Meditating, reading, practising yoga. Thinking.
Thinking it over: how did we get to this point and how could we act differently? To me this is the issue: the economy collapsed because it was an intertwined virtual bubble not based on people needs, rather on superfluous whims and greediness, all across an unhealthy and inhuman frame; the point here is not to revamp the economy but to come up with a new economic model, down to earth. The growth model urging developing countries to run after and reach developed countries took us to where we are today. Which is unhealthy.
Healthy means sobriety over accumulation, it means respect over abuse; and it means solidarity over competition; competences over ignorance. Politics should not serve economy rather citizens. Policies should be oriented on social dimensions, preventing and anticipating, rather than fixing.
A lot is to be done. Differently. But we need to think in a different way than the way that has created these problems.
Let’s devote at least one day per week or few hours a day to silence.
It would bring a lot of change.
The question is whether people are willing to change.
If we keep on not realising we need to change, it will be Nature to do it, without consulting us.
And indeed, we are already witnessing it.
Stefania Romano