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Where do we go from here?

Sheelagh Matthews/Best Interest As we begin to awaken from our COVID-19 lockdown slumber, Albertans and people worldwide have some critical choices.

 

sheelagh matthewsSheelagh Matthews/Best Interest
As we begin to awaken from our COVID-19 lockdown slumber, Albertans and people worldwide have some critical choices.

A big question on my mind these days is, where do we go from here?

But, perhaps an even more important one is, how do we get there? COVID-19 brought our economy and social norms to their knees.

What’s next? I think this situation gives us an excellent opportunity to substantially shift the way we’ve been doing things. Hmmm, let me clarify this. We have an excellent opportunity to make sustainable, soul-filling, and earth-friendly changes to our way of life.

This is not about filling lifeless corporations’ coffers here. I’m talking about decreasing our dependence on mega-corporations for our food, shelter, education, and entertainment. By doing so, we just might create a more meaningful life for ourselves. Let’s take our propensity to buy, buy, buy.

Could our desire to hoard toilet paper at the early stages of coronavirus be nothing more than a symptom of our consumer-based society? Consider a scenario where shopping was no longer our main go-to economic activity.

Yes, this could be our once-in-a-lifetime chance to really bring some balance into our lives. After all, what good is having it all when you’re in debt up to your eyeballs and have to work all the time just to make minimum payments?

Where is the time for enjoyment and relaxation in that? And just how much does a super-stressed-out life really cost in relationships, massage therapy, chill pills, and even job security?

Thanks to COVID-19, we’ve had time to ponder questions like these and wonder about our options.

The makers’ movement is an example of people stepping up to the plate and becoming independent of our larger systems, at least for the most part. Makers concentrate on making things. They bake cakes and breads, they knit sweaters and socks, they throw and fire clay into mugs and bowls.

They are making music and art, they are writing stories, they are enriching our lives. Makers often create with a passion for their craft and in traditional sorts of ways.

 But, to be fair, it’s hard to imagine makers making very much without the benefit of electricity and heat for their studios and kitchens.

And let’s not forget about hot and cold running water, phone services, the Internet for websites and research, and e-banking for customers’ purchases. All of these are available at the flip of a switch or the tap of a microchip.

 But, are all these conveniences to our benefit in the long run? Are they making us soft, and totally reliant on external sources? There is no argument as to how easy our lives have become thanks to all of them. But they also leave us more vulnerable when there are disruptions to even just one system.

Floods, fires, and workforce shortages, such as those experienced due to COVID-19, can create havoc with our regular routines. That’s why taking the responsibility and initiative to have a solid Plan B is always a better move. In the case of money, old-fashioned cash can pay for necessities when the power goes out—but we must be careful to ensure that hard cash remains legal tender.

Growing vegetable gardens, playing musical instruments, learning to read a map or sew a mask—there are heaps of low-tech, creative, and practical Plan Bs that we can take on board.

Taking advantage of this golden opportunity to build, with intention and care, more balance, independence, and resiliency into our lives post COVID-19—now that’s in our best interest.

For more in your best interest, follow Sheelagh @sheesays or visit www.ideagarden.net.

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