Friends and colleagues from China have been telling me for weeks that they worry about us. Who's us? Us, westerners.
The reason was put this way. Us westerners don't follow the rules well. We're too "free-spirited". I had to pause to digest this one. Being free-spirited can be a bad thing? And then it hit me.
While we are inching towards a complete lockdown in the west, a good two months after Asia went into full repair mode, I hear stories of companies still keeping their employees at work. This comes on the heel of local authorities asking everyone to stay at home unless they absolutely have to go to work.
One of my Asian friend's worry was that we would go to work because we fear to lose workdays and not get paid. The worry is warranted. Our healthcare structure is not made to handle emergencies, even less pandemic problems.
While authorities are grappling with how to ask people to stay at home, the underlying problem remains. What is needed for a population to feel secure its health is more important than the finances of giant corporations? Perhaps, this Covid-19 is a blessing in disguise. Now that many are home. We can take the time to examine our values and the lives we lead. I know I'm re-evaluating everything. For the first time in a decade, I'm contemplating a career move.
