It’s an interesting time to be alive. Just a couple of months ago, I was planning my trip to Bali (I haven’t been since I was 19) and was browsing through villas I could escape from the city-life in. Two days ago I found out that AirAsia has grounded most of its flights and yesterday Indonesia called a closure of its borders for the next 30 days. It’s an interesting time not merely because all hopes of traveling are gone, but because I am recognizing that a “business as usual” mindset does not apply in today’s environment. This time calls for re-calibration and moral leadership.

Re-calibration

It’s hard to imagine deviation from a plan. I’ve spent the last few months zooming in on a number of goals and habits, whether it’s launching a number of podcast initiatives or investing in relationships. By nature, I’m an extroverted guy – I draw energy from people. But COVID-19 requires physical distancing and restraint from being in places with lots of people. Cognitively, I agree with a lot of the advisories and regulations being rolled out, but emotionally, it is not easy to re-calibrate.

There is also an element of infallibility encoded within us. We’ve survived this long, and as long as there is a non-zero possibility of surviving, why should I be scared? Lots of us believe that we’ll beat the average, because lots of us have already beaten the average in many ways. By being in Singapore, many of us already have a standard living that outshines many others’ globally. We’re used to the praise heaped onto Singapore for being a miracle country. The argument should extent to our ability to survive COVID-19 right? The obvious answer is no, because probability doesn’t work that way, especially when COVID-19 does not have any comparable predecessors.

There is a need to re-calibrate and adjust to this new reality. I’ve been trying, but it’s an incremental journey. I’ve minimised my social circles to just the same few people who have also done the same. I am trying to find ways to remain social while limiting physical interaction. It’s not as easy for me to call a complete cancellation of life as I know it, but it is necessary, and I am preparing myself for the potential reality where I am may be forced to stay within my apartment for a number of weeks. Life as we know it just cannot apply if we want COVID-19 to stop spreading. Life as we know it must give way for life as we need it.

Moral Leadership

Beyond the individual, there are changes that are needed at the societal and cultural level. Public health crises like the COVID-19 pandemic are not simple policy issues. They don’t just require the government to lay down policies, but they also require conviction of the heart and soul. It is at times like this where cultural capital and moral leadership play a larger role than mere public policy.

For example, I’ve been impressed by the rather innovative lo-fi techniques restaurants are using to indicate physical distancing, such as crossed out seats at their premises. These initiatives, even at the cost of business, signal to the customer that the establishment prioritizes health over revenue.

Moral leadership also requires people with influence, myself included, to look within and ask what can be done to effect positive impact around them. Whether it’s to speak up (or at times, keep quiet), to advocate for the last, the lost, the least, or to recognise those who are risking their lives for others, there is a role every individual, body and corporation can play. In a time like this, one must ask – what did I do to participate positively in society?

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It is easy to remove one’s self from the actual health crisis at the heart of the pandemic. After all, everyone is focused on the teething pains of staying at home or looming economic crash. People are dying and there are real human beings fighting for their lives on a daily basis. We must remember that actions, while minute in myopia, actually have widespread implications.

Of course, there is also opportunity. Opportunity to use the down-time to work on areas we’ve wanted to work on for a long time. I haven’t written a reflection post for almost a year but here I am, spending some new found free time to keep my writing up. It’s also a good time to wean off what what was unnecessary and focus on what is good in our lives.

I write on this blog to remind myself that history remembers, and I will remember who I was at this point in time. Who did I help and how did I respond? I am coming to terms with my reality – how will you?