Post-Coronavirus — How we moved from Fear to Trust
By: Iina Santamäki
Tags: Systems Thinking, Collaboration, Connection, Futures Thinking, Coronavirus

Post-Coronavirus — How we moved from Fear to Trust

In the beginning of last year, Coronavirus affected each one of us — some more than others. This is a story of how we moved beyond Coronavirus and started to co-create a world that supports the wellbeing of the whole.

©Iina Santamäki

Looking back at the rates now, we can safely say that Coronavirus turned out to be less severe than we expected at the time. When we shifted from a state of fear to a state of trust, we realized that what was really causing the virus to turn into a pandemic was the fear that so many of us held. As said by Charles Eisenstein: The most dangerous virus is the virus of fear. When we shifted from fear to trust as a collective, the number of infections started to drop drastically. We started to see how our minds can make us sick if we believe every thought that arises. We started to see how unique a human body is — a system formed by interconnected elements that serve the very purpose of keeping us alive.

Although we were able to keep the death rates low considering the number of people who got infected, we started to feel deep empathy and care for those who were affected the most. We started to see each person as a member of extended family, regardless of the country of origin, gender, religion, sexual orientation, or any other factor that used to create a division between us.

Coronavirus provided a wake-up call for us in many ways, one being our dependence on external sources — for example in regards to food. We started to explore alternative (yet traditional) ways of becoming more self-sufficient as well as exploring alternative economies of gifting and sharing. We started to see the damages of capitalism and its profit- and growth-driven mindset. We realized that the wellbeing of the collective is one of the greatest gifts we can give and receive. That we feel more abundant when others around us feel the same. We realized that it does not matter if an individual is healthy and wealthy in isolation. Because that is not real wealth, it is only an illusion. Therefore, we started to consider global challenges as a collective matter, and instead of discussing what we should do — we started to act. We started to build bridges of compassion and respect, and reimagine a regenerative world for present, future, and beyond.

During the outbreak of Coronavirus, we had to start looking for alternative ways of working. Remote work enabled us to re-evaluate our time management, our motivation, and our relationships. We realized that remote meetings actually work and can provide the same value as face-to-face meetings. In fact, remote meetings made us more intentional in the air time used, the space we take, in meetings. We realized that deep listening, presence and intentional agenda enabled our remote meetings to flow. We asked ourselves: “Why did it take us so long to stop flying to another country for a half-day meeting?”

While we understood that remote work can sometimes be more effective, we still longed for physical connection. When we were able to return to our offices, visit our parents and grandparents, and participate in large conferences — we just wanted to give a big warm hug to everyone we encountered. We started to appreciate the inherent yearning for connection within all of us.

During Coronavirus, many of us returned to nature to seek safety and comfort. When we stepped into silence and were surrounded by vibrant, living nature — we felt alive and nurtured. We started to question why some of us have moved into a city where we can hardly hear how the wind touches the leaves or see a squirrel looking straight into our eyes. We started to realize how we are an inherent part of nature and our astonishing ecosystem. We started to see how our actions in the past have affected the most precious living beings on our planet. Therefore, we knew where to start — it was time for us to reconnect with ourselves, one another, and nature.