Solidarity can get us through uncertain times. I believe when we decelerate from our busy lifestyles, we better understand what's really important. We should support people who have become isolated and lonely.
I also trust that the majority of my fellow country-men and women are following the recommendations that we are given. We have good public health insurance, and it has been strengthened during the pandemic. This means that you can stay home sick for 21 days without applying for a medical certificate. You will be able to get up to 80 percent of your salary—up to a salary of approx. 3000 euro per month. This makes it easy to follow the recommendation to stay at home, even when you have the slightest symptom.
We’ve seen how, in the space of weeks, industry can turn on a dime and innovate to produce emergency supplies to frontline workers in a crisis. I expect we’ll be seeing more innovation in the coming months and years to ensure that our communities, economy, and way of life are better prepared for such extenuating and unpredictable scenarios as the one we’re living now.
For us, community development practitioners, this has informed us on how to emphasize more on self-sustainability and working towards self-reliance for those we serve. It has also informed us that hand-to-mouth kind of work is undependable because this can change any time just as the COVID-19 pandemic has taught us.
I have found new hope and new resilience. In solitude—social isolation/distancing—I have doubled my workouts, meditation, and time with family and friends, all the while Zooming to places I have never been before. COVID helped me define what I truly COVET.
There is no unity, “community” is little more than a buzzword, and we are weak because of it. I think no matter what your political views are, nor what your heritage might be, we need to GENUINELY come together for our future well-being.
Our story can be co-created in this crisis. I share one piece of the story. After the virus, we will be looking at development through a different lens. Hopefully, we will be taking the planetary boundaries as the guideline, instead of the GDP (Gross Domestic Product).