You have been given a moment to really think. Why not use it?

Albert Einstein made the simple observation that in the middle of a difficulty lies opportunity. As usual, he was right.

The human race has been dished up an unexpected moment. Out of the blue our comfortable world of shopping, going to work, socialising and hugging has been shattered.

The loo paper is gone, the stadiums are shut and our personal space as been mandated at two metres.

Everything we took for granted has been attacked by an invisible menace that poses a real threat to the lives of thousands of people and the very foundations of our cultural interplays.

We suddenly find ourselves in a surreal Hollywood cliché, pinching ourselves and scarcely believing the social disturbance that has erupted around us.

Riding out the crisis is the priority. We need to make whatever sacrifices are necessary to keep our vulnerable safe and we need to feed our economy with enough fuel to spring back to life when the pandemic inevitably ends in the not too distant future. To borrow from the stellar closing passage of War of the Worlds we need to reclaim our “right to survive among this planet's infinite organisms”.

In the midst of all that, another truth emerges. This crisis has granted us a moment in time.

To think. To really think.

Suddenly the clutter is gone and we can start to ask ourselves some tough questions and take some time to reset and plan for a better future.

It’s time to ask things like:

·      Are you doing what makes you happy? What can you do now to pursue your passion? How can you emerge stronger and more fulfilled with life?

·      If you are working from home, you have been gifted your commute time back. How can you use it to make your future life better?

·      You can guarantee this time will stay in your memories. What can you do to give those memories lustre and find some good to counter the challenges?

·      When was the last time you had a deep conversation with an older person? They are walking history books. Can we use this time to put more value on the experience and wisdom we take for granted?

·      What are you really grateful for? It might be time to really think about that.

·      Who is really important to you? When did you last tell them?

·      What have you stopped doing that previously gave you great joy?

·      When was the last time you really laughed? Why have you stopped laughing?

·      Your cycle of travel has been broken. Yet the world is still there waiting for us. Where will you go next when the borders reopen?

·      The Internet is full of bad news. Can you use this time to break the mobile phone addiction and try actual conversation again?

This could go on and on. In normal times, life is a bit like walking in a big city crowd. You are carried along with the momentum and if you stop you get trampled or left behind.

Suddenly we are alone in this new world of social isolation. The crowd is gone. It is eerily quiet, and we are left alone with just our thoughts.

In this moment the noise and clutter has vanished. We can think. Really think.                                              

The views in these posts are personal and not related to my day job. Shane Rodgers is a writer, strategist, business executive and optimist with an unrelenting curiosity about human behaviour.