Finding the Light Within the Darkness
By: Daniel Zar
Tags: Covid 19, Balance, Optimism, Hope, Coronavirus

For some time during this period of isolation and social distancing, I have been debating about whether to publish a new blog post.

I have not written anything publicly in about two years and honestly it is a little intimidating. But I had the time, and I therefore decided to pick up the metaphorical pen and see where it took me.

I began in earnest writing about the Covid-19 crisis, with the intention of highlighting our individual and civil duty to help defeat this very tricky (albeit micro) enemy. This line of thinking is largely aligned to the rhetoric of most governments around the world, who have mobilised their respective nations to rapidly transition from a peacetime to a wartime mindset.

But as that blog post was developing, I began to think that there is no shortage of that type of writing going around. If you are reading this, I am very certain that you understand the seriousness of this pandemic and the responsibility that each and every single one of us has to delay and contain it.

I think what may even be more important for us, is to attempt to map out the new landscape that we will enter into after the isolation period has ended. It also may be a useful exercise to reflect on some of the lessons that we can extract from this time, as well as to ponder the impact that this pandemic will have on us on an individual and societal level going forward.

Everything has changed in the last few months. When the world shifts in such a significant and dramatic way, it leaves permanent marks and scars on each and every single one of us. These indelible marks are painful no doubt- but they are not necessarily a negative thing.

I am a strong believer in the ancient Chinese concept of Yin and Yang. This concept promotes the idea of Dualism- A perfect natural balance (over the long run), where forces that seem to be in opposition are actually complementary to one another.

In a visual form it often takes the seemingly opposing forces of light and darkness, and intertwines them perfectly within each other. Wherever there is darkness you will find light, and wherever there is light you will find darkness. There are no forces that are more contrasting, but yet, against all odds, they perpetually engage in the act of dancing harmoniously in a painfully beautiful waltz with one another.

This is a time where there appears to be a lot of darkness. A novel disease has ravaged through nearly the entire globe in less than 6 months. We were not ready and we were ill prepared. Over 60 000 people globally have lost their lives to this awful virus and that number is rapidly climbing on a daily basis. Many more people are seriously ill. There is no doubt that this time has been filled with darkness.

So where is the light to be found? Maybe it is in the lessons that this pandemic will teach us? Maybe, after this pandemic, we will be more prepared for the next one. Maybe, after this pandemic, we will have a more acute sense for the brittle, yet at the same time, malleable nature of the Universe.

Maybe it will show us that our focus was off (or at least misguided). We have lived in an era of incredible economic success and growth. The global financial prosperity in the past 30 years has been unparalleled. We achieved the ambitious goal of cutting the 1990 world poverty rate by 50% in 2010- 5 years ahead of a very optimistic target.

But whilst our global financial pedigree has grown at mind breakneck speeds, we have to ask ourselves the question:

Has our humanity grown at the same rate as our global financial status? By most metrics the answer to that question has to be “no”

We have lived in an environment which favours and incentivises economic efficiency, profits and financial valuations above all else. These last few weeks have certainly been a wakeup call to the fact that those models which prioritise efficiency may not be the only constructs in which to operate.

Don’t get me wrong- We still need the growth and efficiency. Now is more important than ever to support businesses in their effort to reignite the global economy. But perhaps our prior operating frameworks need to tempered with a little more humility and kindness and a little less selfishness and greed.

As one of my friends put it “ The world has eaten humble pie”. The amount of generosity, care, presence and love that has been displayed in the last few weeks has been simply astounding. This is something that is very powerful and that cannot be understated.

The author Arundhati Roy described this pandemic as a portal- “ a gateway between one world and the next” in her recent Financial Times article.

This is a sublime analogy- There is no doubt that there has been a major shift. We have to wonder what kind of new world we will be entering when the dust settles on this pandemic- when we are peering through the opening of nature’s portal into the new paradigm. One thing is certain: It will be a very different world to the one that we left when we all went into social isolation.

Many people will choose to adopt a negative attitude towards the new world, pointing to the severely diminished global economy and harmful social and anthropological effects of subjecting human beings to periods of extended isolation. There is no doubt that these are serious issues that cannot be ignored and need to be addressed fast.

Restarting the economic engine, which has been running smoothly since we weathered the storm of the 2008 financial crisis, but which came to a grinding halt a few weeks ago ,will be incredibly complex and challenging for both governments and businesses. The economic backlash will likely be massive, especially for countries where large stimulus packages are not an option.

On a social and mental health level, we still do not know the full impact of what this novel experiment of enforced mass social isolation does, especially for people living alone in small spaces. The best guesses are that there will be severe consequences for many people. Humans have become accustomed to living and thriving in symbiotic communities for tens of thousands of years. It is very difficult to reverse that programming in such a stark and abrupt manner.

However, now more than ever, we have an opportunity to find the light within in the darkness. Human beings are an incredibly resilient and innovative species. We will emerge through our new portal stronger and more equipped than ever. We have faced many hardships before. These hardships have not destroyed us but, by contrast, have made us stronger.

My favourite ever quote by Marcus Aurelius rings true in these times now more than ever.

“The impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way”

This quote is just as relevant today as it was almost 2000 years ago when Marcus etched it into history.

Through this obstacle, we will find a new path. Humanity will adjust and prosper- There’s no doubt about it.

This is the time for us to take a pause and consider who do we want to be, on an individual and societal level when we emerge through our portal.

Will we return to the status quo? Or will we have a new lease on what it means to be truly connected and uplifted human beings?

Now is the time for the heroes of the new world to stand up and be counted. Now is an opportunity for bravery, for innovation and for kindness to be displayed like never before. Now is the time to harness the lessons from this pandemic and utilise them to make lasting and positive change.

Stay safe