Issue #20

January 7th, 2021

The staying power of Covid – Are we the cause of an extended pandemic?

This week’s webinar “I vs the virus” – Friday January 8th 4:00PM MST

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82909644522

As Trump finally fades from view, Covid will resume trending first…but for how long? Are we naive to expect Covid to fade – thank you to vaccines and summer, isolation and social distancing?  Are we ready for Covid’s staying power?

About COVID

A frank new discussion

My biological clock is no longer programmed for careers or elections, anniversaries or even holidays. It seems to have shrunk to days even hours as news is global, ever-present, and and evermore dynamic. 

Consider the Trump comedy to our south.  It was galvanizing and is now transitioning into a mob test of the resilience of US democratic institutions. Consider also that Covid and the flood of statistics for eyeballs will surely outlive Trump. But it too is transitioning from a focus on vaccines to a focus on variants, to an extended presence, and to the selfish choices of politicians. 

Which brings me to my point, an important one that we should all heed. Wars, technology, and pandemics have always been transformative. I’ve been riding the technology wave since the ecommerce meltdown in 2001.  I believed that emerging technologies would overwhelm the capacity of corporations and institutions, professions and governments. That firms needed to heed calls to innovate or die; create or be run over. Be nimble.  Embrace change and learning. These principles have been guiding change for sometime as economies adapt to the tsunami of emerging technologies.  Welcome the Digital Economy. BUT…

What was not anticipated was the Black Swan, the disruptive impact of Covid, it’s variants, AND it’s staying power. That is, hope and politicians, technology and opportunity, have led us to believe that the impact of Covid would be short term, and that if we were prepared to make the necessary fiscal and social sacrifices, that technology – the vaccine, WOULD MAKE ALL WELL AGAIN.

Well nature isn’t listening. This should not be a surprise. The history of pandemics and their legacy is troubling – one of extended staying power. Is there reason to expect otherwise today? It is surely absurd to believe that mankind and our access to knowledge has elevated us to such a state that nature including a virus is beholden to us, our institutions and technology.

 COVID is SOCIAL

We commissioned a series of interviews of people and the impact of Covid on them, their lives, and loved ones. 

HERE

Let us know if you would like to share and/or view the entire series.

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Michelle@PerrKinkaide.com

Nature has a way of humbling humans. Well we are getting a real awakenning. First it was climate change. Now it’s a virus.  I’m not arguing that we be passive – a silent “victim”. I am arguing that  leadership today should understand that we need to be real, honest, sober in our messaging. Nature is still our superior: adaptive, creative, operating 24×7, never sleeping, and no cost.  By contrast, we as humans have embraced certain values that increase our risk in a pandemic and that are contributing to its staying power. Consider global transit enabling people the freedom and means to move everywhere at will.

“I count”.  “I want” to travel. “I” gives the virus an extraordinary advantage over the population at large. Increased “personalization” – heightening the value of “I” – is selfish and during a pandemic comes at a cost.  When we favour our personal desires, over the needs of others – we are behaving just as does a mob, with no regard for others.  Such politicians should be purged as abjectly selfish and violating the very basis of their election – to sacrifice “we” for “I”. Unfortunately it appears that people being people, no institution or technology, law or leader has the means of suppressing the “I” virus a deadly partner in the spread of this virus. 

Until this virus and its variants play themselves out we must be on guard and simply do our very best and accept the cost to protect ourselves, those we care about, and the most vulnerable. Covid will be with us for some time so please please respect the small businesses that give us our daily bread and our children who we pray will forgive us our trespasses.

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Join the discussion, central to our webinar on the topic of “I vs the virus” at 4:00 Friday HERE