When it is dark enough, you can see the stars
– Ralph Waldo Emerson
In our previous blog post we talked about courage – having the courage to take a leap of faith in our own convictions. The strategy was to nurture a unique tender idea, complement it with sound advice and the guiding hand of research, mix that with an influx of creativity and then structure it with a very definite and logical plan.
Currently, we are living through strange chaotic times, faced with an insidious threat to our livelihoods and also to the health and even lives of those we love. Courage takes on a new meaning when the enemy we face is invisible and seemingly unrelenting. We have to cope with a readjustment in so many ways, where lockdown is our new norm, and the apocalyptic flavour of conversation feels as if we are in full survival mode. And yet can we draw some positives from this global crisis to make us hopeful of a better world beyond the Coronavirus?
For one, the world is slowing down. Planes, trains, automobiles – people on the whole are staying indoors, reconnecting with their children and their partners and making the effort to stay in touch, albeit remotely with friends and more vulnerable relatives. In a sense it feels like we’re going back in time, to our childhoods when people spoke to one other on the phone instead of emailing and texting, when children played in the garden and neighbours looked out for one another. In our self-isolation we can now pause, take a deep breath and look around the now very small world we inhabit daily with a new perspective and a deeper sense of love and appreciation for our families, for nature and for mankind.
There have also been countless acts of kindness and a fresh appreciation for the carers – nurses, doctors, paramedics, ambulance staff, care home staff and pharmacists but also police, shop workers and delivery staff. They are now our front-line soldiers against that invisible enemy which until now has been the stuff of science fiction and Hollywood.
We must believe that we will come through this as a fitter, stronger world which adopts a less cavalier attitude to the fragility of life and nature. All of us hope that we will not pay a heavy price by losing anyone we love. These are challenging times for everyone – for businesses and for brands but they are making us grow, challenging us in ways we never thought possible. It will make us stronger and more resolved to increase our understanding and intellect to make this ultimately a better, safer world.
30th March 2020
And once the storm is over, you won’t remember how you made it through, how you managed to survive. You won’t even be sure whether the storm is really over. But one thing is certain. When you come out of the storm, you won’t be the same person who walked in. That’s what this storm’s all about.
– Haruki Murakami