I hope that you, your family and loved ones remain unaffected by the pandemic we have at hand. Life is a collection of seasons. The good times and the bad. Unfortunately, we don’t get to choose what we want to live through. You’ve got to go through darkness to find light at the end of the tunnel. Beyond our current reality, the economic aftermath brewing in the next few months will make things more challenging, and we need to be psychologically prepared. The question is how are we going to face this, and how are we going to overcome the impact this has had on our lives, our businesses, and our economy?
When our survival is threatened, especially in the case of a global pandemic like the coronavirus which originated miles away from home, it’s so easy to question why the world is as interconnected as it is in the first place. We’re all self-isolating, social distancing and quarantining right now and with that emerges strong sentiments of anti-globalization, anti-interconnectedness, and pro-self-sustenance.
I hope we don’t get caught up in these sentiments, even after the threat of the virus is long gone. If Covid-19 has taught us one lesson, it’s that we are now interconnected more than ever. From climate change to the ongoing crisis, it’s more evident by the day that what one individual or country does, will affect the rest of us. In the same way, progress in one will also mean progress in the rest.
In the months since the novel coronavirus rose from a regional crisis to a global threat, countries have been advancing their research in science to find drugs and vaccines to treat or prevent the virus. We are thankful for these efforts, from the tiny island nation of Sri Lanka because a successful trial of the vaccine, means that the rest of us too can bear the fruits of this.
Chief Seattle said it eloquently a century ago, “Humankind has not woven the web of life. We are but one thread within it. Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves. All things are bound together. All things connect.” Closely connected and seamless global production networks made our lives better. Most emerged out of poverty and had access to better healthcare and economic benefits. This is a time we need to support each other and work together as a global community. We need to work towards the reactivation of factories, services, and economy, together.
We all are passing a real acid test of our public and economic policy. The impact of the decisions we make now, will last generations. Only time will tell us how strong we are together and the need to work as a global unit to address challenges that are yet to come. We are waves of the same sea and though we have different rivers and mountains, we all share the same sun, moon and the sky.
Stay safe, our thoughts are with you and your loved ones.
Dhananath Fernando
Chief Operating Officer,
Advocata Institute.
The Advocata Institute is an independent policy think tank based in Colombo, Sri Lanka. We conduct research, provide commentary and hold events to promote sound policy ideas compatible with a free society in Sri Lanka.
