My father-in-law used to say that we have to make time to think. Thinking can bring perspective, insight and ideas. Time to think is a modern-day challenge, but now, with Corona-induced time on hand, we suddenly have opportunity to gather our thoughts. Never before, though, have I found it so difficult. The reason? Uncertainty.
We all know about the poor state of the South African economy and the serious unemployment issues, but in reality, the global economy has not been so healthy either and Covid-19 is exposing any financial window-dressing. We might think that it will serve as an equaliser, but the danger is that the economic effect of the virus might just widen existing gaps. There’s no denying the financial challenges, but I have always believed in forecasting and making plans and coming up with creative alternatives. The high levels of uncertainty do, however, make this increasingly difficult.
Yes, there are positives in the way nature is healing with less pollution, families have time together and we learn new ways of coping. If your salary is still guaranteed, there is some comfort in getting to overdue DIY, reading the book you never got to, early-morning pilates in your garden rather than sitting in traffic. But the pictures is much bigger than surviving 21 days of lockdown. Making sense of it all and trying to plan for the future is something we’ll have to do, but let me assure you, it is no easy task – it will take a whole new way of thinking.
“This isn’t just a pause – it’s an entire reset of our economic system”, says Johann Rupert on Businesslive. Read the article – it will give you more to consider and might make gathering your thoughts even more of a challenge.