What has the COVID-19 pandemic taught us so far? (the list)
Rafael Chiuzi, PhD
Organizational Psychologist. Associate Professor, Teaching Stream, Org. Behaviour and HR Management at the University of Toronto Mississauga [] 3x TEDx Speaker
I’m thinking out loud here, please bear in mind that the list below is mine, and as such, is permeated by my own bubble of biases and prejudices:
- The overwhelming amount of information means nothing if the general population cannot understand some logics underlying how the statistics are calculated (e.g., the mortality rate of the virus is an excellent example of that, the flattening of the curve is also a good one);
- Panic buying is real, understandable, but hazardous;
- The “lean” supply chain discipline is good until you need tons of things that are not there, and are yet to be produced;
- People love a good conspiracy theory. Maybe they feel like “free-thinkers” by spreading these extraordinary stories, even when they don’t know where it came from (that’s probably the reason underlying anti-vaxers and flat earthers);
- Work-life balance is important (in this case, it shows how too much time with family can also be challenging for everyone);
- In most cases, economic and political interests trump humans’ well-being;
- Remote work is real. This is a lesson to your antiquated boss: when you are working from home, you are not “working from home” as he/she thought;
- People help each other when hardship hits, humans still have the beautiful, incredible capacity of collaborating and supporting each other, especially those who are struggling;
- Social media is a chaotic bucket where people put research experts, naysayers, conspiracists, and their neighbours at the same level, and treat the information given by them with the same relevance (incredibly);
- People realize the real importance of doctors, teachers, nurses, drivers, cashiers, and many other professions, and how a system is genuinely a system;
- Internet is a necessity and not a superfluous luxury;
- Some for-profit corporations live up to their actual values of sustainability and client-centered approach, some don’t.
This is an extensive yet not exhaustive list. What would you add to it?
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4 年Thanks Rafael Chiuzi, PhD?this is an excellent list. This is also teaching us the importance of community and why we need to take care of each other, especially the vulnerable.?