Some of the rhetoric is becoming a bit emotional. Governments haven’t “shut down the economy”, but they did put restrictions on certain industries, most of which have now been lifted. Unrestricted travel is still some way off though. That may mean certain adjustments will need to be made for most of us in the travel industry, but life will go on. It may be in a different house or a different school. It may mean we are the ones receiving social security instead of contributing towards its financing. But life goes on.
The fact is the world economy was in ICU leading into 2020. It was spluttering along despite record debt being financed by record low interest rates which simply lead to record high asset prices. A reset has been overdue since we failed to do so in 2008/09.
Ask yourself, was Shazza and Gazza from Wollongong taking a ski holiday in the middle of summer or a beach holiday in the middle of winter financed by their overinflated house price the new normal? Or was it a temporary blip that was never previously normal and won’t be again? Is burning 500 tons of fuel to get 100 tons of cherries from South America to China the new normal? Or was it pure gluttony and greed that should never be considered normal? Countries, industries and individuals will have to adjust. If it wasn’t COVID-19 it probably would have been something else. Globalization was an experiment that was already failing except for the asset holders. Hence the rise of leaders like Trump.
So we are now faced with two vulnerable groups of citizens. The elderly who are at risk of catching a potentially fatal disease and the mentally weak who are at risk from themselves. Helping one does not mean risking the other. But help doesn’t necessarily mean giving someone what they want, but what they need.
It’s times like this we actually discover our real selves and what’s important to us. We discover our real families. We discover our real friends. We discover what’s truly valuable and what isn’t. No one that matters cares about the house you live in, the uniform you wear, the car you drive, the school the kids go to, the club you belong to, the paycheck you earn or if you’re the beneficiary of a social welfare system.
Some senior pilots around here seem to enjoy referring to the younger generation as snowflakes. Yet when faced with losing their imaginary self esteem or illusionary place in society are the first to melt.
Last edited by Progress Wanchai; 23rd Jun 2020 at 04:32.