I have never been accused of being an optimist (just ask my family), but right now I’m more optimistic than ever about the future of the global community.
The current COVID-19 crisis has given us a first-ever prototype in the history of our species and planet. We are prototyping True Global Conversation.
This conversation is helping us work through what it means to truly come together and solve problems on the global level.
It’s helping us build a global community that not only acknowledges our commonality but celebrates our differences without animosity.
True Global Awareness and Conversation
What COVID-19 has right now, at this moment in history, is global awareness on a level that has never been realized before.
Of the between 7 and 8 billion people on this planet, I think it’s reasonable to estimate that 6B+ are aware of, and actively discussing the coronavirus.
Here’s the map of infections on the day I write this:
Even in countries with zero confirmed cases, it’s hard to believe that most people aren’t aware. Plus, a closer look at which countries are reporting zero cases raises an eyebrow.
For my whole 50 years, we’ve been talking about economies, wars, environmental issues, health issues, etc on the so-called “global level.” However, in all of those cases, it’s hard to imagine an effect of which 6B+ people are aware of and actively discussing on a daily basis.
In comparison to COVID-19, all of those now look like “regional” issues…even the “world” wars.
One could make an argument that global warming affects us, or will affect us, at the same level. One could make an argument that lifestyle diseases currently affect us on the same level, or even worse, in terms of death and disability.
But neither of these issues has the universal awareness nor conversation that COVID-19 does.
An Opportunity for New Forms of Community
Community had already been changing, or at least new forms of community have been evolving.
The internet, smartphones, and high bandwidth data almost anywhere has unshackled the need for community built around physical proximity. We’ve learned to become comfortable with communication through screen interaction as an alternative to physical interaction.
There are those that have been beating the drum of how technology has been killing community, killing conversation, and killing personal interaction.
Of course, there’s a kernel of truth in there. We can hide behind these technologies, or they can be used maliciously. Plus, we’re human beings. Physical interaction will always be something we crave and need.
But we’ve been collectively prototyping new forms of community for the last several years. We’ve been learning what it feels likes to build virtual communities and solve problems across physical boundaries.
And now is the moment to cash in on what we’ve learned for the good of world.
A Bright New Normal For Community
Community may be forever changed, or at the very least enhanced.
And we’re ready.
The last 15 years has given us the opportunity to figure it out.
We’ve learned about new channels of global discussion and problem-solving.
We’ve learned how to conduct business, how to build relationships, and how to keep a family together virtually.
We’ve learned about what it means to walk in another’s shoes, if even for an instant, and view life from another’s perspective.
Regardless of the lasting effect of COVID-19 on you, your family, or your community, maybe you, like me, have caught a glimpse of how the future can look so bright.
Once the crisis has passed, physical communities will grow back and thrive. We want and need them to. But so will the communities and conversations we’ve built virtually.
And that is the cause of my optimism.
Prior to the COVID-19 crisis, there seemed to be a trend of more and more people retreating towards the huckster that is “self-made” and the charlatan that is “I can do this myself”. But hasn’t the current situation shown us that we need community more than ever?
Now we know how to build it in today’s world on the local, regional, national, and global levels.
