We are all in a bit of panic mode these past few weeks with many places shutting down, Alberta schools and day cares are closed for the year, Alberta declared a state of emergency, playgrounds are closed, Canada is no longer allowing non-Canadians into the country, and most people are doing their part of self-isolating – all for good reason.

Those who are privileged to work from home are being forced to do so and those who aren’t able to work remotely are sadly being laid off or their jobs and income are being put on hiatus for awhile.  Canada has issued the Canada Emergency Response Benefit along with a handful of other action items to help Canadian facing hardships as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak.

Small businesses are suffering. Many likely will not be able to handle multiple weeks/months of no business. People are freaking out about toilet paper. The stock market is now in a bear market and has taken a 28% nose dive as of this writing from its mid-February high. We are likely heading into a recession (by definition, we are not in a recession yet as it must be 2 consecutive quarters of economic decline). The world seems to be unraveling with every passing day. It’s feels a bit like we are all in the Hunger Games waiting for President Snow to come on with his daily announcement to Panem.

There clearly are good reasons why people are panicking and full of fear and anxiety. But the truth is, we don’t know what’s to come next.  This could last multiple months, hell even years, and have the whole world spiral into a complete 180 from where we were 2 months ago.  All we can control at this point are our own actions.  We can band together as a global society, all do our much needed role of self isolation, and next thing you know were on the mend and working our way back to “normalcy”.  We don’t know when things will shift back and that’s the scary part about all of this.

If I were ruler of the world, I would tell every single citizen that you have 4 days to collect everything you need and then we are having a world wide lockdown for 30 days.  That isolation might actually kill this damn COVID-19.  But alas, I am no such ruler and likely coronavirus is going to be on the front pages for longer than a 30 day timeframe.  Oh wait, New Zealand’s prime minister did just that.  Personally, I think it’s only a matter of time before all countries being somewhat impacted by COVID-19 enact similar measures to what New Zealand just did.

Either way, it will take the economy quite some time to dig out of this hole. We are seeing tons of government bailouts which likely will mean increased taxes down the road.  We are seeing interest rates being cut to near zero to try to keep the economy going.  It’s definitely an interesting time.

While I am not trying to make light of the current events taking place around the globe, I wanted to try to bring a bit of positivity to the table.

First off, the recovery rate of those who get COVID-19 should not go unnoticed.  Yes, many people are dying (which also cannot go unnoticed) and we must do our part to self isolate to help the healthcare field from being inundated with more patients than they can handle.  But the amount of people who are able to recover is a great positive to start off with.

Before moving on, I wanted to give a big thank you to all of the first responders, doctors, nurses, and hospital staff (janitorial staff, cafeteria staff, administrators, etc.) working to stop the spread of this pandemic, the selfless hero’s keeping the grocery stores & pharmacies functioning from the front end staff to the truckers and farmers and all those involved with the supply chain, the entrepreneurs trying to ramp up production of medical gear and supplies, and the researchers working on a vaccine and cure. And let’s not forget the utility workers keeping our lights on, post office employees delivering our mail, military personnel, bank staff, delivery folks, the list goes on and on. The next time you run into these folks (not literally, at a distance of course), show them your gratitude.

Positive Side Effects That May Come Thanks To This Pandemic

  • Community Spirit
    • Have you noticed that your neighbors are a bit more friendly and checking in to make sure you are ok?  Our neighbors are telling us when they are at Costco to check in to see if we need anything (since we don’t have a Costco membership). People are still purchasing take-out from local restaurants to try and show their support (while these businesses are allowed to remain open).  You can also buy gift cards to local shops to use once they reopen.  Or shop for local online retailers who likely have some sales going on as they try to stay afloat (again, as long as online purchases of non-essentials is allowed).  Or you can continue to pay for things you might not being having done right now such as continuing to pay your house cleaner. Or you can pick up groceries for someone you know who may be in 100% self isolation mode due to previous travels (if online ordering/delivery is not an option). More and more people are connecting with those they care about.
  • Help For The Elderly
    • I’ve heard of a few stories of very worried elderly people who are afraid for their lives (literally) to go to the grocery store.  If you know of anyone who is elderly without family near by, offer to go pick up their groceries or medicine while you are out picking up yours.  Also, major kudos to the groceries and pharmacies around the world who are allowing the first hour of operations to be dedicated to those who are sick or elderly.  In my town, Shoppers has implemented this elderly only shopping hour and as of Monday (3/23) all Walmart’s across Canada have implemented that the first hour of store opening each day is dedicated to the elderly, disabled, or those with vulnerable health conditions.
  • Pollution Levels Are Down
    • Levels of air pollutants and warming gases over some cities and regions are showing significant drops as COVID-19 impacts work and travel. With global economic activity ramping down as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, it is hardly surprising that emissions of a variety of gases related to energy and transport would be reduced. Check out this image from NASA comparing nitrogen oxide levels in China’s atmosphere from January and February from earlier this year (thanks to reduced cars on the road and industrial activity). A map released by Nasa shows how air pollution levels have reduced in China this year
    • With aviation grinding to a halt and millions of people working from home, a range of emissions across many countries are likely following the same downward path. While people working from home will likely increase the use of home heating and electricity, the curbing of commuting and the general slowdown in economies will likely have an impact on overall emissions. 
    • World: There’s no way we can shut everything down in order to lower emissions, slow climate change and protect the environment.
      • Mother Nature: Here’s a virus. Practice.
  • A New Sense of Togetherness
    • The world is uniting together to fight a virus. We are ALL in this battle together. This is a bit strange in the sense that most “battles” are against another country, region, or religion for one reason or another.  In this case, this was pretty much unprompted and we are all having to work together to figure out how to revive the global economy to fight again something we can’t even see. There’s no room for racism or discrimination. We are all equally fighting against this.
  • Less Individualism
    • We are all being urged to self-isolate for humanities sake.  We all have likely seen the simulators showing how this virus could spread with and without self isolating.  If you are relatively young and in good shape, you are not self-isolating for your sake.  You’re doing it for others.  You are decreasing your chance of becoming a carrier and passing it on to someone who’s immune system cannot handle the virus as well as you might be able to.
  • Barriers To Working Remotely Will Fall
    • Many employees likely can do their job from home these days.  However, many large corporations have been slow to react to allowing their employees the opportunity to work from home.  Well guess what?  Now these same corporations are forcing their employees to work from home ALL AT THE SAME TIME in order for the company to remain in tact (as much as possible).  I truly hope this revolutionizes the old-school mentality that working from home means you are lazy and not a contributor.  And hell, some people who thought they would love working from home are getting a glimpse of it and realize they are much more social creatures than they imagined and actually prefer to be in an office setting.
  • Better Use of our Smart Phones
    • Many people do not have the ability to work from home because they must take care of their kids and/or the elderly or they are sadly either being laid off or their jobs/incomes are being put on hold until their is more certainty in the world.  This then leads to people having A LOT more time on their hands.  Rather than let social media drain our day, let’s be proactive and creative with the extra time on our hands.  Teachers are publishing educational content online, yoga & fitness instructors are teaching classes online, world class orchestra’s are playing for an online crowd, ministers are airing their sermons online, the Cincinnati zoo is providing educational animal content daily as are various aquariums, artists are providing drawing videos daily for kids to take part in, virtual tours of national parks are online.  The list goes on and on. Let’s be more productive with our screen time.
  • Rise in Telemedicine
    • With the number of sick people increasing with fewer and fewer places to go, more and more apps and online platforms are popping up for people to seek medical help.  There are now more hotlines to call in to speak with a nurse over the phone.  Maybe this can help reduce the amount of non-emergency patrons entering the ER in the future?
  • Big Government Makes a Comeback
    • The battle against the coronavirus already has made government—federal, state/provincial and local—far more visible than it normally has been. As we tune in to daily briefings from public health officials, listen for guidance from our local officials, and seek help and hope from our national leaders, we are seeing the critical role that “big government” plays in our lives and our health. Not only will we need a massive dose of big government to get out of this crisis—as both Ottawa’s & Washington’s swift passage of a giant economic bailout package reflects—but we will need big, and wise, government more than ever in its aftermath.
  • Science Rules Again
  • Healthier Eating
    • Most people’s food expenses are a bit outrageous with all the meals out, happy hours out, drinks out, etc. each month.  But hey, if you value those expenses, by all means. However, people are now being forced to have their food spending category look a lot like what Modern FImily does each month (and many others in the FI space).  Maybe this will make people realize that cooking your own meals at home actually isn’t that bad, tastes better, and is better for both your waist and wallet?  We’re also hopeful that this will have more people incorporating more plant based meals into their diets.
  • Realize Our Dependency on the Outside World & Become More Self Sustainable
    • If you didn’t realize how dependent you are on others, you definitely realize it now.  From fresh produce, to toilet paper, to services funded by your taxes – you name it – you likely are not producing these things yourself.  Show respect for how these things made it to your home (read The Story of Stuff by Annie Leonard for more info on this topic).  Maybe you’ll be inspired to grow a garden now or learn how everyday household items are actually made and go from source to product.  Respect the world we live in.  Reduce your waste. And your consumption.
  • Restraints on Mass Consumption
    • Speaking of, for decades, we’ve satisfied our out-sized appetites by encroaching on an ever-expanding swath of the planet with our industrial activities, forcing wild species to cram into remaining fragments of habitat in closer proximity to ours.  That’s what has allowed not just COVID-19, but many other viruses from the past (SARS, Zika, etc) to cross over into human bodies.  Hopefully we will develop a contrarian appreciation for communal life, supporting local, and learning to live beneath our means.  We, as a global society, need to wake up and take responsibility for what we are doing to Mother Earth.
  • Respect for Health Care Workers, Teachers, and Stay At Home Parents
    • If you didn’t have respect for those who work in the health care field before, you better have given them their well deserved respect now.  These dedicated people are working WAY more hours than they normally do and have extreme stressors on them.  They are our soldiers on the front lines.  Many of them are also staying away from their families at this time to prevent their loved ones from getting sick. Hopefully the Alberta government realizes what a terrible mistake they made at the end of last year by cutting funding in the heath care field (and education too).
    • When all is said and done, I truly hope teachers are finally able to get paid the wage they rightfully deserve. If you’re feeling a bit overwhelmed with your kids at home all day every day and still trying to stimulate them educationally and keep them safe… imagine being in charge of 30 of them.  And you have to have an itinerary for them every day.  And you need to be dressed and clean and on it and professional.  And you need to make sure no one fights and everyone learns and scores well on these pointless memorization tests in which your income is tied to. We call those angels, teachers.  This is their reality. Teachers have one of the most exhausting jobs out there and deserve their proper respect. Use your voice and support your educators.  They’ve been fighting for themselves for friggin ever with no results so now that we’ve all had a taste of this madness and we’ve learned literally none of us can hack it… support your teachers. This may be a stretch, but maybe, just maybe, we can also re-frame the pressures/expectations of the school system as a whole to be less rigid and more fluid – to allow kids to be kids and have more free time and use their imagination more and to be able to learn by focusing on things that they actually are interested in.
    • Similarly, now no working-parent will ever question what a stay-at-home-parent does all day. Note – this is not a stay at home parents are better than working parents point.  You do you, whatever that is. I have respect for ALL parents out there, whatever your parenting decisions are as long as you are loving to your children. And you all now have a glimpse into our daily life – minus the whole library, parent link centre, sports centre, museums, playgrounds being closed 24/7.  Being a stay at home parent is one of the toughest jobs in the world and there is no manual or degree in school you can receive for this job.
  • An Appreciation for Nature
    • Pretty much the only thing we can do these days to get out of our house is to either A.) pick up essential items (as infrequently as possible) or B.) get outside. Playgrounds have now been banned and taped off but we still can get fresh air by going on walks, hikes, bike rides, etc. as long as we are distancing ourselves from others.  Fresh air is so good for the mind and most people working 8+ hour days are lucky to escape for fresh air during their lunch break, if the workload permits. Now, we have no excuse not to sit out on our patio or to go for a walk (at a safe distance from others).  We live on a pathway system that connects our town and we have seen a noticeable upswing of people walking by this past week, specifically many more family units. Hopefully this habit continues once life resumes to “normal”.  I’ll harp on this one last time – ensure you are getting fresh air for your mental health but please be smart and safe about how you are going about it!
  • More Entrepreneurs
    • Unfortunately, many people are losing their jobs or facing reduced hours. Since bills have to be paid, people are having to creatively come up with ways to earn money outside of what was their traditional 9-5. Because of this, we are seeing more and more entrepreneurs pop up with creative solutions to get by. This mindset may create a more entrepreneurial society when all is said and done.
  • A Dose of Frugality
    • On that same note, many people are having to take a close look at their monthly spending and figuring out what is a want versus a need. A financial haircut is likely going to take place among many households. It may seem like the worst thing ever, however personally I see this as a blessing in disguise as we all learn to become valuists to some degree. Spend on things you truly value, and cut out the rest.  Maybe you’re being forced to reduce your spending as stores are closing doors.  Hopefully this creates the mindset shift that many people living in rich first world countries need.  Sometimes less really is more.  Let’s all spend some time reevaluating what’s actually important in our lives.
  • A Kiss With Boredom
    • While many may not see this as a pro, being faced with boredom is a good thing. Sitting and doing absolutely nothing is a good thing. Thinking with nothing specific on your mind is a good thing. Meditating is a good thing. Journaling is a good thing. Reading is a good thing. Having a clean and tidy home is a good thing.  Getting a good nights sleep is a good thing. Yet we never seem to have the time to do any of these things. Now we have no excuses. Weather it is gardening, crafting, drawing, playing or listening to music, exercising, meandering in the park, or paddling down a river, do it regularly and intentionally.
  • More Time Together
    • Suddenly everyone’s crazy hectic days have come to a halt.  No more errands to run all over town.  No more kids activities to bounce to.  No more commitments to things you really didn’t want to go to anyways.  No more non-essential outings.  And because of that, we now have more time to spend together at home, as a family.  More families are sitting around the table playing board games all day.  Or having longer, in-depth, and meaningful conversations with each other. Or having those serious conversations with elder parents about having a will or power of attorney.  Or people are reaching out to friends and family they haven’t heard from in awhile to ensure they are ok.  Or people are flying home to spend time with family they haven’t seen in awhile (those who were abroad and able to get back before flights shut down).  Hopefully this makes us realize that our core community is really what matters most in this world.

I came across this quote that I wanted to share before closing:

“The air around the world is cleaner, less pollutants entering the sea, streets are less noisy.  Families are spending time together, less planes flying around the world, luxury cruise ships are not dirtying up the sea.  People are looking at local solutions for needs, and taking time to wash their hands.  The hectic pace of the world has slowed.  We’re breathing consciously; grateful for being alive.  Yes, we will overcome this virus.  But I hope we will fall in love with this new way of being” – Author Unknown

Bill Gates has provided some of his thoughts regarding COVID-19 that are definitely worth reading.

I truly hope we all reevaluate our priorities and make conscious changes to our every day living once all of this is said and done.

Support your local mom and pop shops (those that survive, hoping most are able to make it through).

Show appreciation for those who work in the healthcare field. And teachers.  And parents.

Understand that your daily actions impact others as well.

Be kind and supportive to those in your community.

Let nature be your therapist.

Appreciate Mother Earth and understand its fragility.

Enjoy the little things in life.

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6 thoughts on “The Positives That Can Come From Coronavirus”

  1. I absolutely LOVED this article! well-written and with great insights which is not surprising coming from the Modern FImily blog 😉
    This situation have pushed me out of my comfort zone to teach my side hustle class online to the request of my students and I am even working on a project with a friend who requested some dance for kids/parents she could add to her educational site. I have always wanted to do these things but doubted myself but how can I say no when it is a gift I can provide to my community and beyond now when they need it the most.
    I am also one of those considering gardening seriously now as I notice that dependence on the external world. So many point to reiterate..this comment will be a dissertation!
    Thank you for sharing all this! and thank you for being a light is our current situation

    1. Glad you found it useful and relatable! See you are the perfect example of those stepping up to make positive changes because of current events. I’m sure your dance videos will be so helpful to the kids/parents out there that access them! 🥰

  2. Thank you for highlighting the positives of this crazy pandemic. I share a lot of the same ideas as you may have noticed the slow and and increased (from a distance) community. You have eloquently put it all down in words for others to read – thanks again.

    1. Of course – I think it’s so easy to get wrapped up on the negatives that I wanted to shift the mindset a bit. Thank you for reading and for this encouraging comment 🙌

  3. Although you say writing is not your strong suit, I beg to differ. 🙂 I thoroughly enjoyed this post. I love that you’ve not only found the good (in a very challenging time), but have acted as something of a futurist with your predictions (particularly hope we see a continued shift from individualism to community consideration, WFH (c’mon dinosaurs, let’s do this thing), being more intentional with how we spend and, my favourite, spending beautiful, uninterrupted quality time with those who matter to us most. Thanks for this wonderful piece infused with hope!

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