A new story
We are going through a historical moment that most of us would have only thought was out of science fiction or the plot of a disaster movie. This is a tremendously unusual situation that has taken all of us out of our comfort zones, and when our sense of normality is challenged, we naturally seek solutions. The important thing is to understand that to find a different way of thinking and doing things; we need to create new points of reference or scenarios according to our current needs.
Everyone is talking about the “COVID way of life” because, from now on, there are habits we will have to incorporate permanently if we want to avoid contagion and the spread of the virus. These are the hygiene habits that we are implementing in our lives today to protect and care for each other. The normal stopped being normal. We can no longer hug, shake hands, share a mate or tereré, spend Sundays at home with our grandparents, or get together with our friends. We were asked to stay at home, and we got scared because we didn’t usually spend that much time there. The truth is that today, our homes have also become offices and schools. Everything has changed; everything is different. We have to take on responsibilities that we previously assigned to others, such as teaching our children, household chores, and our work connectivity and effectiveness comes from a screen. Today we have to take on several roles and that commitment scares us. We are afraid because we’re not in control. The load is becoming quite a burden.
It’s likely that many people feel paralyzed or desperate in this situation, and that this shock clouds their way of finding solutions and strategies. However, for others the sense of urgency generates creativity and fast adaptation to the circumstances. I am pleasantly surprised by Paraguayans’ ability to respond amid the storm. Entrepreneurs make disinfection booths, face masks, and prevention kits. Restaurants and cafes have turned to the delivery system with a variety of different dishes. An immense number of people collaborate on communal soup kitchens to make sure no one misses a plate of food. Today, we are not only finding new ways of doing things, but we are becoming more socially committed. We look around us more than we used to, we can see our neighbour who needs a plate of food, the mother who doesn’t know how to help her children with homework, the father who is distressed for fear of losing his job, and we feel empathy. We know that we’ll get through this only if we support one another.
We must be capable of communicating with optimism and not with fear because that will lay the foundations for a sustainable and powerful change. We must be capable of working together and fighting for the common good, despite the uncertain situation we face. We must be able to recover our values to give way to what is important and transcendent.
We were handed a blank slate to write the history we want to tell when this is all over. Let’s start creating, innovating, learning, collaborating, changing, and, during this whole transformation process, let us be thankful for every step forward.
Very soon, the cocoon will break open, and we will fly free with a different view and a renewed spirit.
