This is not a pleasant article, dear reader. I am going to shake you awake. Perhaps you are wondering why this is necessary. Why do I have to shake you awake? You are sitting at home and waiting. Idleness is slowly taking hold of you. Well, you do a few things. You maintain your contacts, arrange your affairs as far as possible. You read up, stay informed. Don't sleep too long and you take care of yourself. And then you wait. All fine.
No. Not fine.
Because what are you waiting for?
Shock number 1: This is going to take a long time
This is going to take a long time, indeed. What you see and experience now is your new reality.
That’s what you have to do, for now. The pandemic is here. It will get worse before it is manageable. How long have you been at home? Two, three weeks? The kids have not been to school during that time. You have not seen your parents. Your business is running at half capacity. Orders cannot be fulfilled. Products are not delivered. Meetings are held online. Colleagues are out of reach. Only the cleaners are still working in your building and you leave it that way for the time being. You follow the developments. And you wait.
Get used to it. This is your reality.
At home I am always hopeful. Now too. But the situation we are in now, that will have a deeper impact. Now the deaths are still numbers. One hundred and twelve per day, seventy-eight per day. So many in the hospital, so many in intensive care. In a while those numbers will be about people you know. About your family. About you.
The disease is not far away.
Shock number 2: Our luck is pretty much over
We have been lucky. You, me and the generations that are now alive and kicking are. At school we learned about the Second World War, the reconstruction and stupid diseases like polio. It was all far away from us. We grew up with TV and soft drinks. Our fathers earned enough for the whole family and if the sandwich maker was broken, we quickly cycled to Blokker. That was our childhood.
This is in contrast to our parents' youth. They hopped, jumped, and jumped over the rubble of the last war, the reconstruction was not over yet. Our parents grew up in unheated houses and had unloving teachers in front of the class. The Russians and the Americans constantly threatened new wars and the bomb could fall at any moment.
For us – their children – they did everything. So that we would have it better.
And then our grandparents. They knew the threat, misery, illness, poverty trap, dead loved ones and cities in ruins. They remembered a life without facilities, without proper sewage and without running water from the tap. Studying was not normal, women had hardly any opportunities. They left these years behind them with relief. “It has all gotten better.”
Changes often come after a catastrophe. Some catastrophes sink into oblivion. I myself suspect that the corona crisis of 2020 will stick. Not because of all the deaths. Mass deaths have happened more often in history, after all 50 million during the two world wars of the last century. Almost forgotten. The corona crisis will be remembered because the people it affected were so incredibly naive. Always looking for growth, at the expense of everything and everyone. Childishly focused on me, myself and I. The corona of 2020 makes humble and mature. From me to we.
Shock number 3: After this everything changes
The flip side of every catastrophe is that it brings together the people it affects. Shoulder to shoulder, clearing the rubble. The corona catastrophe is a global problem. It reaches across all borders. Religion, politics, skin color, former enemy or ally: it no longer matters. Everyone is attractive to the corona virus. The perversity of corona is that you can spread the disease without getting sick and can thus severely affect your loved ones. Corona roams through generations and through bodies, looking for the weakest spots. Tiny and deadly.
The rhythm of disasters has no time for sorrow. Deadly viruses are unfazed by our arrogance. But this virus will not wipe us out. Not that. It causes loss and generates fear. It destabilizes global markets and turns our daily lives into surreal dreamscapes. Our vulnerability and interdependence are laid bare. As we hunker down indoors, a tiny thing—not even a creature—forces us to reexamine our values, our certainties, our choices. And while we wait—for what, exactly?—our thoughts wander to an existence without internet. Without running water, without heating, and without toaster ovens. Like the world of our grandparents. We’re not there yet. But our thoughts wander to it.
Corona changes our paradigm. Deep down our lives are turned upside down. Yours too.
Shock number 4: Don't wait any longer, take action.
This is the good news. We realize that we depend on each other. Not only economically, but also for our sense of happiness. Our well-being. Peace. Health.
It shows what vital professions are. Where would we be without our healthcare providers? What would we do without supermarket managers? Cashiers and shelf stackers? The police and the fire brigade, the teacher of group 3. Of course the mayor is also important. Rutte, the king - although I am a republican - and the boss of the RIVM: we need them all. We must learn to think collectively. Each of us plays an essential role. As a person. Lifestyle first, business second.
The most important thing I want to say is this: wherever you are, whatever your position, take action. This is your new reality and waiting is not a good idea. Think. Scenarioize. Plan. Calculate. Be realistic.
You probably won't die from the virus. It's possible, no guarantee. But it doesn't have to be. And if you don't die, you'll live on in a changed world.
Your job, your company, your customers, your securities, your money: is it all still there?
What is still there is your core. It is independent of the circumstances.
There are always – always – ways to provide yourself and your family with an income.
The trick you did before the corona crisis, you can do during the corona crisis. And after. Maybe even better. The circumstances are different, that's true. But you are the same.
Once successful, always successful.
Hans Ruinemans, boardroom monk