BEAT THE CORONA BULLY. BEAT ITS DESIGN.

While the Corona virus tries to bully the world and its more than 7.7 billion people, what it needs is a hell of a fight. The virus is designed to instigate doubt hence fear, instigate dispersion and that is what it is doing. It is doing what any bully would, putting on a show, puffing up its chest and nostrils and showing its tricks. But it has design flaws, insecurities and chinks. Good battles often are about figuring these flaws, sighting chinks in the armour and going after them with a hammer. The same goes for the fight with viruses and bullies. You have some of the best minds and most courageous frontline fighters leading the battle. And you could help make it easier by pitching in with your bit.

Good battles often are about figuring design flaws, sighting chinks in the armour and going after them with a hammer, chisel, axe, sickle, whatever you get.

A virus is designed to believe that it can bully long enough. But then it’s our turn to stand up to the bully and say that’s enough and halt it, fight it, make it diminish, make it disappear. While at the same time sending out a signal to all who suffer bullies to mount a quiet, determined protest, A message that bullies are overgrown, insecure tyrants, too tight for their pants. And they ought to be censured, controlled and mitigated swiftly and certainly. While possible vaccines and some specific drug treatments for COVID – 19 are under investigation or are being tested through clinical trials, there are a few steps that the rest of us could take to help in the battle.

Here are 6 simple design interventions

The question would be how? When suddenly “united we stand, divided we fall” is being made fun of. The answer is that the moral still stands strong and relevant as ever. We should be doing precisely more of that with a small design alteration of social distancing. 

United we stand but for some time 1.8m apart. But stand you must, stand with caution. 

#1.  The bully always, often underestimates the loudness of silent protesters. Use that. 

While the frontier warriors, our hackers - governments, institutions, specialists, virologists, doctors, healthcare emergency and critical services, think tanks are hard at work to contain COVID - 19 the citizens play a strong supporting role, first by heeding. The frontier warriors are the advisors that the world must listen to – as they know it better, understand it better and are authentic sources of information on what to do next. Good consulting is about listening to the specialist when you have a problem and not voices in the head. That way, the frontier warriors would be reassured that we have their back, and help them get back to disciplining the bully. 

History through its toughest crises and emergencies, shows bullies can be contained and put right back into oblivion. Some of the most, dark bouts of pestilence, plague, plunder and pandemonium have been fought back successfully, led by pockets of courage, ordinary people often doing the extraordinary, quietly inspiring momentum, with citizenry who fought back hard, fast and furious, many in their quiet ways.

#2. Bullies hate a collaborative defence. So mount one, be one.

The current pandemic goes by the name COVID - 19. Some things which would hurt the bully start with Co too. What could they consist of?

(a) Co-edit, publish right - Kill rumours and myths. You as a citizen with a mobile in hand are now a responsible co-editor and a publisher. Share news that’s authentic, from a credible source, don’t share rumours or fake news that’s divisive (that is what the virus would want). Share news that’s positive and humane. Check the spread of rumours or misinformation, as the latter is as bad as the virus. Everyone you send the message to, is expecting responsibility, reassurance from you, true hope from the sender. It is at these times that the more vulnerable need the right information and actions so that they can stand up to the bully, to the virus.

(b) Stay human, co-exist  – Practise social distance, not humane distance. Decide how you remain responsibly social, socially responsible and more critically humane in temporary crises like this. Dial down rituals that put a strain. Don’t stock up more than necessary (clue – if your home starts looking like a godown or you are dressed up in a Hazmat suit while brushing your teeth or the essentials store runs short of toilet paper, it’s time to reform and be human). Spare and share them for fellow citizens who might need it more. These are times where you show where you stand, as else you will be encouraging the Corona bully who needs exactly that to spread panic. Support initiatives that give support to the more vulnerable, guard the older. Stay humane, stay connected. 

(c) Co-work and co-play remotely – Shun the bully, don't play with it. By all means work, but remotely out of homes, The brave people offering essential and emergency services are the heroes at the frontline and they would be more assured if you don’t compound their problems by stepping out to work. Do what you can, do what is possible and for the good. There are enough digital media, tools and techniques to ensure that your good work doesn’t come to a grinding halt (clue: Skype, Hangout, Slack, Google Docs, Project Asana, Adobe XD). For leisure, listen to podcasts, book up, share great reads or playlists, skill up online or keep yourself entertained. Streaming brands like Youtube and Netflix are already dialing down from HD to standard definition to keep the bandwidth consumption low.

(d) Breed calm, composure – co-create belief which is the most powerful ingredient of resistance. Savour the smaller freedoms today so that you can celebrate the bigger freedoms tomorrow and day after. That is what keeps the spirit of the tribe up. Keep yourself, friends & family, even the strangers till now in the right spirits. This has everything to do with the vibe you exude. Positivity breeds positivity. Calm breeds calm. Strength begets strength. Believe that the end of the road for the bully is a few spanks away.   

(e) Stay cohesive, coherent – fear, prejudice and stigmatization make things worse. Now is not the time to point fingers. There should be a cause for alarm, but that should be responded to with urgent, swift action and not panic and misinformation. This is not a time for discussing eating habits, social customs and racial prejudice. The bully doesn’t recognize any of these. It smells only fear and anarchy. And social cohesion and being one helps throw a knock out punch at the bully. 

#3. Every bully has its achilles heel. Attack it. 

A virus consists of two or three parts: genes, made from either DNA or RNA, long molecules that carry genetic information; a protein coat that protects the genes; and in some viruses, an envelope of fat, a bubble of lipid that surrounds the protein coat. This is vulnerable to soap and alcohol. So bust that envelope.

Use sanitizers, wash your hands with soap and water thoroughly, dry them (Wet hands easily transfer viruses. Drying them off lessens that risk) and you are fighting half the battle. The other two gaps in the bully's defences are being addressed by the researchers, doctors and virologists with medicines and vaccines being developed. 

#4. Learn from the virus and mutate 

Viruses contain genes, which gives them the ability to mutate and evolve. Sometimes good strategy is also shadowing the moves of the aggressor though in a smarter manner. Citizens must mutate in behaviour and social habits during this temporary period of disturbance and listen to the experts. (a) practise social distancing (b) wash your hands a bit more often but dry them (wet hands easily transfer viruses; drying them off lessens that risk) (c) stop touching your face (it’s not going away for a long time) (d) respect a lockdown and stay grounded.

Now what we are simply being advised to do is mutate temporarily, switch on a set of behaviours that helps befuddle and stumble the virus. From time to time researchers, world bodies and governments will advise us how to mutate our behaviors right and it's best to heed that. The world is counting on you. 

#5. Keep calm and stand your ground. The virus works best when you panic and disperse. 

Human migration aids the spread of pandemic infections. This is the time as advised by experts to stand and sit your ground where you are. That is the first line of defence, isolating the bully by not panicking and running helter-skelter. The bully hopes and prays that you run, but doesn’t count on you to stand your ground and stare it down. Viruses don't have the right enzymes to create the chemical reactions necessary for reproduction. Instead, viruses need a host cell, which can be bacteria, fungi, a plant or an animal, including a human. With help from the host, viruses are then able to multiply. Without the host cell, a virus cannot survive long term. Patience hence is a key weapon.

#6. The bully often isn’t prepared enough. Exploit that, prepare in earnest. 

A virus usually has a short window of time during which it can function in hopes of attaching to (aka infecting) a new host. Social distancing, lockdowns and responsible actions can help make this survival window tougher for the virus. Temperature, humidity and surface properties can all affect that survival rate even further. In general, it’s believed viruses survive longest at lower temperatures, higher humidity and [on] non-porous surfaces (like stainless steel).

The most heartening fact is that technology, medical science, research, skills and efficiencies have also been progressing and getting better with time, helping beat down the impact of viruses, or finding vaccines or coming up with ways to enable physical isolation by making us digitally connected and mitigate problems. Today science and tech is better prepared to battle pandemics, and hence they deserve every bit of our trust and faith.

So heed the experts, stay updated, listen to health advisories, stand your ground and stare down the bully.