A few positive thoughts in a difficult time for us all. Change is not only good, it is necessary.

Forcing millions of people around the globe is the biggest thing to happen to most of us in our lives. We would all benefit from as much help and positive support as possible right now and for the coming months.

I have scribbled down a few thoughts and the start of a list of what I see, in my humble opinion, may be useful.

Isolation can be a great time for clear thinking and good decision making

A lifetime of working alone does have a few benefits, not least of which, is a developed capacity to think clearly around a problem in order to make good decisions with everything looked at, reasoned and taken into account.

After taking into account our circumstances, which for most of the UK is rather privileged, I believe the quality of our lives is built on good decisions which ideally built on two major factors, experience and time. Quality clear thinking time to question everything before deciding. So what better time, for those of us fortunate enough to have a bit more, than now to plan and make good decisions for our future.

Yes, it’s a tough time for vulnerable and at risk people.

Although millions will die, and that is a global tragedy for many its worth remembering the quote below.

“Our grandparents went to war, all we have to do is sit on our arses”

Nothing of any value is ever achieved without stepping out of our comfort zones.

“It is only the bad experiences, when we are out of our ‘comfort zone’ and facing our demons and enemies when we truly learn something significant of worth that lasts a lifetime”

The world needs change. Yes, it is an awful global tragedy, but there are lessons to be learnt from this horror of an event. It could be seen as a major event that allows us to learn for the other great challenges ahead that will require us to see change is possible at a world level.

For any of us to change our lives personally to any degree, it only really happens and is sustained when there is a major life event, a birth, divorce, a major accident, a death, a marriage. I imagine it is no different at a world level.

A final, and well intentioned although potentially insensitive, thought is that this major pandemic will have hidden silver linings for the long term.

The greatest challenge the planet will have in the immediate future is facing the realities of necessary change and effecting those changes. As a species, we vary greatly in our capacity to accept, understand and implement change. Change is difficult and rare.

After the lessons are learnt and this awful pandemic is over we will need to face the changes necessary for climate change, to save billions more lives and the planets great eco systems. We will need to mobilise as one planet globally, something that before the pandemic looked most unlikely to happen without a global intervention event that would seriously shake everything up.

I take great strength from the wonderful way, already, this is March 29th 2020 as I write, people have pulled together to support those on the front line, the NHS and everyone is making a difference in their own way. I beleive there is a silver lining, and yes I know we are at the start of something tragic beyond our lifetimes, but I see it as something, hopefully, we can all learn from. How to change.

We will need to learn and accept the differences between ourselves, between religions and cultures in order to work together efficiently, The consequences may be a new world, a world of greater equality, stronger communities, with more emphasis on people over material possession and with all the magnificent benefits that that brings with it. Well I can dream!

“This is an opportunity for everyone to see the change that is necessary to change our world, our children’s world and the Global environment and if we allow it to… an opportunity to learn something more about ourselves for the better hereon.”

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