What changed and what really matters…

Hi everyone,

We all agree that 2020 has been such a trying year so far. At the time of writing this article, the Covid19 pandemic is still at full swing in most regions of the planet however there are some good news about effective vaccines coming out soon .

I think its safe to say that 2020 has changed the way that many of us look at the world and society in general, as well as the way that we look into our own reality and what matters to us.

That will be my focus in today's article… not necessarily only from my personal experience but also what i have observed in the world around me.

For most of us, the new Covid19 pandemic represents a completely unprecedented circumstance, as does the routine change it has caused. No event in recent history has affected us so deeply and widely. The pandemic not only recalls our physical fragility, but it also undermines economic security, turns our daily lives upside down, destroys our plans and isolates us from friends and neighbors. For me it has been remote work since March and very limited in person contact with others outside my household.

Little by little, it is changing who we are and how we relate to people and the world. The pandemic affects our psyche in three ways: it influences how we think, how we relate to others and what we value.

Our sense of security has changed

We don’t know what to think or what to do in the face of these completely unknown circumstances. Who will be affected? Will the pandemic affect our friends and family? When? Will the tests be available? will i survive? How long will it last? And our work? Our income?

We long for clarity and guidance, for a “light at the end of the tunnel” — a tunnel that at the moment seems to have no end. Glued to our TVs, phones and laptops, we become addicted to news.

Some gravitate towards the pole of denial, believing that everything should go as normal, and others live in total panic, in the belief that the worst will certainly come and that the end is near. Rumors are widely circulated and assimilated uncritically in this era of Social Media.

This is the time when constant and reassuring leadership is needed. It is also the time when an orientation that has authority and confidence is preferable to a flexible and casual guide. We need to be told what to do, quite simply. This is not the time for complex deliberations.

Our needs have changed

We focus on the need to feel in a group, which means that they crave cohesion and unity. Patriotism increases, but so does nationalism — the idea that our nation is superior to others and knows how to deal with the crisis better than these foreigners who, in the first place, were responsible for spreading the virus.

The Covid-19 pandemic is scary. Everyone can become infected. Nobody is exempt. No matter what your position in life, your status, your power or popularity, the virus can still catch you. This possibility evokes a primordial feeling of fragility and vulnerability.

Our dependence on others increases. This leads us to value social relationships, strengthening the bonds we have with each other and increasing the appreciation we have for our family and friends.The realization that we need others, that we cannot handle this alone.

That was certainly my case in terms of contact with my family back in Portugal.I now talk to them on a daily basis and video call at least every other day.This didn't happen before the pandemic.I'm happy it does now!

Our values have changed

Along with growing attachment to others, there is a subtle change in our morals. Community values of cooperation, consideration and care are prioritized, while individualistic values of prestige, popularity and power lose part of their appeal.

Our cultural ideals are also transformed. In times of crisis, we celebrate and place great importance on people who live in service to the community, reach out to others, sacrifice their own interests for the common good, demonstrate empathy and become models of humanity. The fascination with fame and wealth diminishes and gives way to admiration for simple acts of kindness. I certainly like to think that has been the case with me and i will be writing more about it soon.

The pandemic alters who we are, we can approve of some of the changes — towards stronger community ties and humanitarian values - and disapprove of others — the closed mind and simplistic reasoning. Like it or not, the immense crisis we are facing brings out the best in us, but also the worst.

One of those changes in me was the urge to share my thoughts and views with you!

I will be writing about the most varied subjects and my opinion on them …stay tuned!