WHY WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY INSTEAD OF SOCIAL DISTANCING

If there is one thing Corona is teaching us right now, it is how unprepared we as a society are for crisis and how utterly egomaniac we as a society and as individuals have become. What this "pandemic” shows clearly is that the people are more afraid of their own life's than for humanity to survive and that my friends is the scariest notion - scarier than any killer virus could ever be.

Every article I have read so far, every public announcement of employers and politicians alike talks only about one thing: To protect the health of their own and is only considering the privileged of us, as a matter o fact the tenor of self-protection has not just strong narcissistic notions, it is an underlying passive-aggressive behavior towards those less fortunate and it needs to end.

You see, “Public health isn’t just about your own personal health, it’s about the health of the public at large". (New York Times)

And what this virus does right now is deepening one of the gravest forces of our time: economic inequality.

“Pre-existing social vulnerabilities only get worse following a disaster, and this is such a perfect example of that.” Nicole A. Errett, public health expert

Here is the thing. We live in one of the richest societies in the world, yet we do not seem to be able to look left and right our own doorstep, when we make decisions.

Let's talk about school closures for example. While it is completely beyond my comprehension that we are unable to continue educating our children remotely in their homes, what is even more abstruse is that no one has come up with an action plan on how to feed those kids who come from underprivileged families, who rely on the public school system to feed them two meals a day.

Let's talk about the absolute unnecessary forage going on worldwide, which mind you is not only a problem for people with small weekly checks who can not go and buy a month worth of supplies in one splurge, it causes alone in Berlin more than 70% of the national food banks to close, because food and donations, as well as personal, has become scarce because people only think about themselves

Let's talk about refugees and shelters Homeless organizations in California, which now has the highest numbers of reported Covid-19 infections along with New York and Washington state, say they lack the resources and government support to effectively stop the virus’ spread in encampments and shelters, and that the shortage of tests and beds could have devastating consequences

Let's talk about the pharma industry - the winner of this crisis - who is now having almost unlimited funds to search for a flu vaccine, that 80% of the affected population might not even need, while at the same time provide for artificial shortages of disinfection sprays and hand sanitizers, or even more importantly mandatory test kits weekly for every household so that those not in a high-risk group can go out and help those at risk and sick and not able to help themselves?

As we try to understand and deal with the magnitude and consequences of the coronavirus pandemic, we must step up now and see the crisis as a chance to rethink our personal role in society

And here is some food for thought about how you can be the change you want to see in this world

I for once will be bound to home office from now on, but working from home means, I have an extra hour in my day each day, that I do not spend with travel. I have talked to my local grocery store to accept donations and hand out lunch packaged to kids that will miss theirs in school, And I have volunteered to help out elderlies in my neighborhood, who are too scared to leave the house to run errands in the evenings.

If you are an employee and speak to your staff about home office so that they can stay productive and don't get sick, why not at the same time talk to them about what we can do as a company to help. Set Up Donations, Volunteer together on a weekend, or if you are like me working in the communication world - use the power of our words and change the way we and our clients communicate right now and set up channels and means to turn #socialdistancing into #socialexchange. Look at a note from the CEO of Deliveroo.uk as an example of how easy it can be to make a difference;

Deliveroo is here to help: We know that people’s day-to-day lives are disrupted right now because of Coronavirus, and we’re working hard to ensure we provide the best service to you during this period. As well as food from restaurants and takeaways, you can also order kitchen and household products from local stores and supermarkets on the Deliveroo app, making everyday life that much easier. We have a dedicated team available at any time of any day to answer questions related to Coronavirus, so you know you have the support you need from us.

Together we should see the crisis as a chance to make a difference and set an example, not for ourselves but for the society, we want to live in and please remember ones this so-called crisis is over - our planet is still burning, so stop and think for a minute what you were able to give up for your own personal health and if some of these sacrifices are not worth up keeping after corona has evaporated, for the sake of our planet.

And one more thing at last: Do never forget - those who make the panic do sell the pills - Don't be like them.