What happens after the COVID–19 pandemic. Is it a return to normal or will we change course?
In the face of a common challenge it is tempting to read into the growth and spread of the social solidarity of voluntary self-help mutual aid organisations which have sprung up everywhere. People are seeking bonds of connection and solidarity with a sense that “we’re all in this together.”
But nothing need change and nothing will unless we make it happen. After the pandemic fades away will it leave the world more divided, not less, once the threat subsides. Will our collective “can-do” attitude be the cause for optimism, hope and power?
Before we start looking at solutions, we must understand the roots of the crises we face. It is by changing systems at the root level that we will bring about the transformation we need. COVID-19 nor CO2 are not stopped by lines on a map. For control, global cooperation and collaboration are required. What we do in one place,effects another. We are connected to each other.
Coronavirus, climate crises and capital moves around the world. The capitalist system has driven the race to the bottom in search of the cheapest labour and working conditions and resources. Governments have competed with each other to loosen regulations that protect workers and the environment to attract investment to their countries. They have implemented austerity policies to cut back on social services to subsidise global corporations. Profits are more important than protecting people or the planet. Capitalism knows no limits when it comes to profits. Capitalism drives the exploitation of people and resources for profit without regard for the consequences.
Industrial agriculture have driven the small farmer from the land to the margins where they come in contact with wildlife and latent viruses. While factory farming where large numbers of animals live in crowded and unnatural environments, which weaken their immune systems and make disease transmission more likely. Global warming adds to the threat by creating climatic conditions conducive to diseases spreading.
In many places, communities of mutual aid have been formed to provide food for the needy and help and support for the elderly and disabled. Socialism is all about nurturing our communities, increasing sharing among people and reducing consumerist desires. We are at a crossroads. This pandemic should shock people out of their complacency. The pandemic has taught us to act in solidarity and that we can alter our lifestyles drastically when necessary. We can’t let normal service resume. The time is now to create a new world. It is now time to conceive of a new society where profits are not above people, a new way of organising ourselves. We require a radical reconstruction of our planet and the manner we run it. We have been awakened to the cruelty and injustice of the present system. Class chains should be replaced by social bonds.
The challenge is clear. We need to take control of our destiny for our civilisation to survive and thrive and must build a new cooperative commonwealth that is regenerative, rather than degenerative. It does not really mean that we have to reinvent the wheel. We simply need to build up and expand upon humanity’s existing best practices —before it’s too late. We can turn things around. We can take control of our well-being.
In the face of a common challenge it is tempting to read into the growth and spread of the social solidarity of voluntary self-help mutual aid organisations which have sprung up everywhere. People are seeking bonds of connection and solidarity with a sense that “we’re all in this together.”
But nothing need change and nothing will unless we make it happen. After the pandemic fades away will it leave the world more divided, not less, once the threat subsides. Will our collective “can-do” attitude be the cause for optimism, hope and power?
Before we start looking at solutions, we must understand the roots of the crises we face. It is by changing systems at the root level that we will bring about the transformation we need. COVID-19 nor CO2 are not stopped by lines on a map. For control, global cooperation and collaboration are required. What we do in one place,effects another. We are connected to each other.
Coronavirus, climate crises and capital moves around the world. The capitalist system has driven the race to the bottom in search of the cheapest labour and working conditions and resources. Governments have competed with each other to loosen regulations that protect workers and the environment to attract investment to their countries. They have implemented austerity policies to cut back on social services to subsidise global corporations. Profits are more important than protecting people or the planet. Capitalism knows no limits when it comes to profits. Capitalism drives the exploitation of people and resources for profit without regard for the consequences.
Industrial agriculture have driven the small farmer from the land to the margins where they come in contact with wildlife and latent viruses. While factory farming where large numbers of animals live in crowded and unnatural environments, which weaken their immune systems and make disease transmission more likely. Global warming adds to the threat by creating climatic conditions conducive to diseases spreading.
In many places, communities of mutual aid have been formed to provide food for the needy and help and support for the elderly and disabled. Socialism is all about nurturing our communities, increasing sharing among people and reducing consumerist desires. We are at a crossroads. This pandemic should shock people out of their complacency. The pandemic has taught us to act in solidarity and that we can alter our lifestyles drastically when necessary. We can’t let normal service resume. The time is now to create a new world. It is now time to conceive of a new society where profits are not above people, a new way of organising ourselves. We require a radical reconstruction of our planet and the manner we run it. We have been awakened to the cruelty and injustice of the present system. Class chains should be replaced by social bonds.
The challenge is clear. We need to take control of our destiny for our civilisation to survive and thrive and must build a new cooperative commonwealth that is regenerative, rather than degenerative. It does not really mean that we have to reinvent the wheel. We simply need to build up and expand upon humanity’s existing best practices —before it’s too late. We can turn things around. We can take control of our well-being.
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