The head of the division of the bank which I work for posted a discussion note on an internal discussion site ( and also on LinkedIn) -
Quote
Imagine it is 2040 and the exam question at school is "#Solidarity during the Corona crisis in 2020" - What will the next generation with the massive benefit of hindsight, assess as successful, and what might we have missed? especially on multiple aspects of #solidarity for e.g.
- was our #solidarity national / continental / global
- economic #solidarity with Italy
- was there any money left for climate change or was it just fashionable topic at summer conferences
- #solidarity with people suffering from mental illness due to the ubiquitous fear
- #solidarity with people getting laid off and prevention of stigma
- #solidarity with people more worried about livelihood than life
- were we given unbiased facts or fed worst-case scenarios and sensationalistic headlines
- #solidarity with people not engaging in panic buying due to lack of financial cushion
- ...
Unquote
and many more aspects. I have picked up a few and have simplified some of the comments above. I was very impressed that not only he thought about these but also posted them in a public forum and invited views. It is commendable as it makes senior leaders understand their bias and be more sensitive to differing opinions and show #solidarity with differing opinions.
After a long time, I came across such a pertinent post, a post other than showcasing financial successes, products, webinars, etc. and my heart called out to respond. I wished and hoped that world leaders thought and acted that way. Thinking on those lines, my fingers started dancing on the keyboard and I picked up some of the elements to respond. Here I reproduce the same.
The biggest casualty would be Globalisation and along with that the #globalsolidarity. National boundaries that got faded and blurred through years of multilateralism, trade and cash flows will see heightened gerrymandering. Not all re-penciling may happen at physical borders but through new controls, tariff and non-tariff barriers aimed at protecting 'their' people. Further dealing a knock-out blow to #globalsolidarity, the supply chains which serve as foundation and lifeblood of globalization, be it in the form of tangible parts or intangible services will be brought back in. In some cases, it may be a genuine case of risk-management but in most, it would be otherwise. We have seen how countries responded by aggressively closing borders, banning supplies of personal-protection equipment, ventilators, etc. The crisis laid bare default position of many countries. Nothing stands out more starkly than the poorly coordinated global response.
Beyond a point citizens of one country do not share the pain on behalf of the other especially financial. Passports start showing off their colors. This is the reason why we saw rise of political leadership and support base swinging right. We saw trade and currency unions but not fiscal unions. We saw Brexit and time to time keep hearing calls for other such exits.
The crisis gave a glimpse of what 'good' looks like - people could see Himalayas from afar and sparkling clean canals of Venice among the many such miracles. Despite that, I believe climate change initiatives will take a hit. It will remain important but will not retain the same priority. Taking a cue from Thomas Szasz (15 Apr 1920 - 2012 ), author and professor of psychiatry, who said, " The greatest analgesic, soporific, stimulant, tranquilizer, narcotic, and to some extent even antibiotic - in short, the closest thing to a genuine panacea - known to medical science is work." With work and therefore livelihood getting impacted all resources are going to get directed to address that and climate change goals will take a backseat.
Having said that it is not all negative. Many firms are showing #solidarity by not firing people, by providing mental health programs, by actively encouraging#workfromhome, by multiplying contributions. Shout out to my firm #DeutscheBank for going far not only on each of the above counts but also tinkering with its well-recognized logo to relay the message.
Individual #solidarity is at an all-time high. This life and livelihood crisis brought a sobering realization that it is about humanity. We know about many existing and new helping groups that are doing their every bit to help the disadvantaged, especially the financially disadvantaged. For many who manage to get only one meal a day, do not have shelter and don't have access to clean water forget regular washing of hands, Covid is a distant and far less dangerous enemy. I am aware of individual stories where people have gone above and beyond to help the elderly.
I particularly admire EU and within that Germany, where I live, for its response on many fronts - #solidarity towards workforce through Kurzarbeit programs, #solidarity towards EU through delayed border controls, #solidarity towards personal rights and privacy in wake of increased calls on surveillance, #solidarity towards neighboring countries by taking in their patients, #globalsolidarity by making public the Covid test-code, #solidarity by supplying kits etc.
To individuals, it has also brought in a hard philosophical realization that life is ephemeral. Also that what one truly needs is hardly anything. An in-our-face realization that if one 'left' having lived for himself/herself then was it truly worth it? A call for volunteers in UK led to an army of people registering for it. A similar call for financial support led to a massive inflow of contributions in India. This collective thought brings lot of hope towards heightened #solidarity towards vulnerable segments.
Coming back to the essay, if a similar essay was to be written immediately after WW2, it would have been difficult to imagine the world we live in today but it did turn out differently. So will be the case here. In the long run everything bounces back and so will the economy, wealth and prosperity of today. What matters and what is important are our actions in the intermittant!
Quote
Imagine it is 2040 and the exam question at school is "#Solidarity during the Corona crisis in 2020" - What will the next generation with the massive benefit of hindsight, assess as successful, and what might we have missed? especially on multiple aspects of #solidarity for e.g.
- was our #solidarity national / continental / global
- economic #solidarity with Italy
- was there any money left for climate change or was it just fashionable topic at summer conferences
- #solidarity with people suffering from mental illness due to the ubiquitous fear
- #solidarity with people getting laid off and prevention of stigma
- #solidarity with people more worried about livelihood than life
- were we given unbiased facts or fed worst-case scenarios and sensationalistic headlines
- #solidarity with people not engaging in panic buying due to lack of financial cushion
- ...
Unquote
and many more aspects. I have picked up a few and have simplified some of the comments above. I was very impressed that not only he thought about these but also posted them in a public forum and invited views. It is commendable as it makes senior leaders understand their bias and be more sensitive to differing opinions and show #solidarity with differing opinions.
After a long time, I came across such a pertinent post, a post other than showcasing financial successes, products, webinars, etc. and my heart called out to respond. I wished and hoped that world leaders thought and acted that way. Thinking on those lines, my fingers started dancing on the keyboard and I picked up some of the elements to respond. Here I reproduce the same.
The biggest casualty would be Globalisation and along with that the #globalsolidarity. National boundaries that got faded and blurred through years of multilateralism, trade and cash flows will see heightened gerrymandering. Not all re-penciling may happen at physical borders but through new controls, tariff and non-tariff barriers aimed at protecting 'their' people. Further dealing a knock-out blow to #globalsolidarity, the supply chains which serve as foundation and lifeblood of globalization, be it in the form of tangible parts or intangible services will be brought back in. In some cases, it may be a genuine case of risk-management but in most, it would be otherwise. We have seen how countries responded by aggressively closing borders, banning supplies of personal-protection equipment, ventilators, etc. The crisis laid bare default position of many countries. Nothing stands out more starkly than the poorly coordinated global response.
Beyond a point citizens of one country do not share the pain on behalf of the other especially financial. Passports start showing off their colors. This is the reason why we saw rise of political leadership and support base swinging right. We saw trade and currency unions but not fiscal unions. We saw Brexit and time to time keep hearing calls for other such exits.
The crisis gave a glimpse of what 'good' looks like - people could see Himalayas from afar and sparkling clean canals of Venice among the many such miracles. Despite that, I believe climate change initiatives will take a hit. It will remain important but will not retain the same priority. Taking a cue from Thomas Szasz (15 Apr 1920 - 2012 ), author and professor of psychiatry, who said, " The greatest analgesic, soporific, stimulant, tranquilizer, narcotic, and to some extent even antibiotic - in short, the closest thing to a genuine panacea - known to medical science is work." With work and therefore livelihood getting impacted all resources are going to get directed to address that and climate change goals will take a backseat.
Having said that it is not all negative. Many firms are showing #solidarity by not firing people, by providing mental health programs, by actively encouraging#workfromhome, by multiplying contributions. Shout out to my firm #DeutscheBank for going far not only on each of the above counts but also tinkering with its well-recognized logo to relay the message.
Individual #solidarity is at an all-time high. This life and livelihood crisis brought a sobering realization that it is about humanity. We know about many existing and new helping groups that are doing their every bit to help the disadvantaged, especially the financially disadvantaged. For many who manage to get only one meal a day, do not have shelter and don't have access to clean water forget regular washing of hands, Covid is a distant and far less dangerous enemy. I am aware of individual stories where people have gone above and beyond to help the elderly.
I particularly admire EU and within that Germany, where I live, for its response on many fronts - #solidarity towards workforce through Kurzarbeit programs, #solidarity towards EU through delayed border controls, #solidarity towards personal rights and privacy in wake of increased calls on surveillance, #solidarity towards neighboring countries by taking in their patients, #globalsolidarity by making public the Covid test-code, #solidarity by supplying kits etc.
To individuals, it has also brought in a hard philosophical realization that life is ephemeral. Also that what one truly needs is hardly anything. An in-our-face realization that if one 'left' having lived for himself/herself then was it truly worth it? A call for volunteers in UK led to an army of people registering for it. A similar call for financial support led to a massive inflow of contributions in India. This collective thought brings lot of hope towards heightened #solidarity towards vulnerable segments.
Coming back to the essay, if a similar essay was to be written immediately after WW2, it would have been difficult to imagine the world we live in today but it did turn out differently. So will be the case here. In the long run everything bounces back and so will the economy, wealth and prosperity of today. What matters and what is important are our actions in the intermittant!
