Lessons to learn, mid-crisis

I realize we are still in the middle of a crisis and it may not be the best time to reflect on what we are learning from the situation. Still, there are some very strong overarching themes about which I can’t help but to see parallels with another looming global crisis. And, maybe, while we are living through this pandemic, we are better able to identify what’s happening so we can learn and grow to better prevent the next global crisis looming on the horizon. Here are some of the themes I see and hear:

• Didn’t heed the warnings at first
• Recognized that we must get ahead of a snowballing problem even though it seemed fine for many in the moment
• Mobilizing a global effort and a wide range of solutions 
• Determining that it is better to overreact in terms of the size of our actions than do too little
• Moving more quickly now, as speed is critical to flatten the curve
• Making sacrifices for greater good and based on a longer-term view, when the individual impact may be unclear or minimal for many

I am encouraged by the bold actions being taken now and proud of the leaders who have been speaking up and driving us to act. Many are hoping we aren’t too late to prevent excessive casualties. 

To me the situation exactly parallels another snowballing issue. Once we get through the COVID-19 crisis, can we apply some of these themes to climate change? I do think there are some unique aspects to this crisis, which are leading to a strong response, that we can apply to the climate change challenge. I’ll save that for a future post.