I take a walk around some woods close to home on 27/03/20 and discuss how people are reacting to the United Kingdom lockdown.
I take a walk around some woods close to home on 27/03/20 and discuss how people are reacting to the United Kingdom lockdown.
The Coronavirus Outbreak 2020 will be written about and taught in history classes for years to come. Quite simply the Covid-19 virus has changed the world and society is unlikely to ever be the same again. This has happened at lightning speed.
On Monday 23rd March United Kingdom (UK) Prime Minister Boris Johnson advised of new rules that people must stay at home. Schools are closed (except for children of key workers) and visits outside the home are now restricted for essential shopping trips, to pick up medical supplies or to exercise (in isolation) once a day; this will be reviewed in three weeks. This followed the announcement that all pubs, restaurants and public places of gathering must shut last week. In France permission letters are required with specific times and reasons required to leave the home and people stopped without this are issued a €135 on the spot fine and if found a second time without permission are issued a €3000 fine and six months imprisonment. Schools in France shut approximately one week prior to those in the UK so it is possible that a similar permission letter/permit will follow in the near future. In Poland patients are receiving text messages from the government which they have to respond to with a selfie within 20 minutes to prove they are self isolating. In India more than one billion people are in lockdown and across the world one in four are under coronavirus restrictions. The curtailment of civil liberties and reaction to prevent the spread of the virus is startling; particularly when the virus was initially billed as just ‘flu’ and came from someone eating a bat in Wuhan, China.
So far the coronavirus has killed close to 27,000 people worldwide and there are nearly 600,000 infected. 647,000 people a year die from flu and there is suggestion that the Coronavirus will kill a comparable amount. Much is made that there is a high death rate (around 2-3%) but this could be high because of a selection bias with only people at a medical centre or with an underlying medical condition currently being tested. Dr. Wolfgang Wodark from Germany claims that there are many new coronaviruses each year and we should be looking at the outbreak more rationally and asking more questions such as: “How have you found out that the virus is dangerous? Didn’t we have the same thing last year? Is it even something new?” An additional eleven medical experts have also expressed their opinion on the outbreak which contradicts much of the information from the mainstream media outlets (link to article below).
As I mentioned in my previous posts research is ongoing to produce a vaccine and I suspect it will be mandatory for all people, particularly if they wish to travel; I even saw an article that people may be classed as a terrorist and a risk to public health and safety if they refuse to have it. Ana Maria Henao-Restrepo, Team Leader for the Initiative For Vaccine Research for the World Health Organisation has said that it would be historic to produce and adequately test a new vaccine within 18 months so it will be interesting to see if implementation is pushed through more quickly; however, it should not be understated that there is considerable danger of side effects of taking any pharmaceutical products as the thalidomide tragedy (a mild sleeping pill even for pregnant women which caused thousands of babies worldwide to be born with malformed limbs) previously demonstrated.
The phrase ‘social distancing’ is commonplace and the use of face masks and keeping a two metre distance between each other is likely to continue. Our work and social environments are also likely to forever change in reaction to this outbreak with more people working from home and less people gathering in large areas (pubs, restaurants, concerts and sporting events) due to the uncertainty of a stranger passing on infection. It may even be required to book permission in advance to travel. We are now washing our hands with antibacterial soap and using alcohol gel constantly; the future result of this will be a lower immune system as our bodies natural defence system will not be exposed to bacteria; thus, when a more potent virus does come around we will be more susceptible to being affected by it.
As well as the vast imposition of restrictions and quarantining there have been significant financial plans to keep economies from tumbling further. The United States has revealed a $2 trillion bail out and the UK will cover 80% of wages for 3 months; it is currently unknown what will happen if the crisis lasts beyond this period. Financial commentators have spoken of the huge risks and suggest this could lead to a worldwide recession and depression. Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick has questioned whether it is correct to sacrifice the world economy and the freedom of humanity to a disease that 98% of humanity survive (most with very mild symptoms) but it already seems too late. The fear and panic of overwhelming the UK’s National Health Service (NHS) has contributed to temporary changes to regulations including the Mental Health Act (reducing the number of doctors agreement from two to one for patients to be detained) and although current measures may relax it is uncertain whether regulations will ever return to their pre-Corona status.
I offer a quote from Benjamin Franklin:
“Those who would give up essential Liberty,
to purchase a little temporary safety,
Deserve neither Liberty or Safety”.
Currently people’s state of panic and fear has resulted in strict safety measures being taken to contain the situation although when people look back in a few months or years they may be shocked by the new world they live in. In spite of Public Health England’s re-classification of Covid-19 as not a high consequence infectious disease (HCID) in the UK (as of March 19th) I expect more authoritarian measures to be taken to contain the virus and restrict people’s ability to travel freely, exercise and assemble.
We now live in a post coronavirus world; I hope history will not judge these last weeks as the period when individuals’ freedom (as we know it) changed forever; unfortunately, I fear we may have already reached a point of no return.
Article mentioned:
https://www.globalresearch.ca/12-experts-questioning-coronavirus-panic/5707532/amp
Taking some fresh air with Edison at Heathlands Nature Reserve on 23/03/20.
A walk with my son Edison in Willesborough Woods on 22/03/20 I talk about how society has changed in the last week.
I usually dont blog so often but things have moved so quickly recently. Last week life seemed normal whilst watching Champions League football at home on TV with a packed Anfield crowd now only eleven days later the British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson is using wartime language and the United States of America President Donald Trump has declared a state of emergency. Social media is awash that the United Kingdom may go into lockdown following many other countries around the world. Panic is high and likely to get worse. What is going on?
First I would like to state I wish to be positive but have many concerns. World financial collapse, martial law, the marginalisation of the elderly in future have all become more likely since 12th March; when Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebryesus, Director-General of the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared a ‘pandemic’. This has set the world’s media alight as the ‘coronavirus’ become commonly known as ‘Covid-19’. This has resulted in panic buying and fights over toilet roll. A friend commented that a point was reached this week when it became rational to panic buy and stock up on food. Society’s reaction and perception to the problem has been immense fear.
I watched a Youtube video posted by Truthstream Media (link below) which comments:
“Repetition is the simplest form of brainwashing and all I hear is wash your hands, wash your hands, wash your hands. But, here is something else you need to know.
All of the things that start in your body start on a psychic level”.
At a time of great fear and panic, the crown (corona in Spanish) chakra shuts down and we lose our connection with life energy and divinity. Without this energy human beings tend to feel disconnected with others and our joie de vivre is likely to decrease. It will therefore be even more important to focus on our spiritual connection so we can find creative solutions to the challenges ahead. The video leads on to a poem to take inspiration from Frank Hubert – Dune.
“I must not fear.
Fear is the mind-killer.
Fear is the little death that brings total obliteration.
I will face my fear.
I will permit it to pass over me and through me.
And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path.
Where the fear has gone there will be nothing.
Only I remain”.
I pray for a miracle that the world will overcome this panic and breakdown of society. Hopefully the warmer weathers of Spring will reduce the outbreak and some normality will be resumed. The world has been shook by this and the tremors will last for many years. Amidst so much fear, our ability to love and support each other will be tested more than ever by self isolation and social distancing. This is the beginning of a new world and without healing our inner fears, our external world may manifest as a future Hunger Games society. This crisis offers an opportunity for a great awakening, to find new, responsible ways to interact with our environment and with each other; may the odds be ever in our favour.
Link to video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=”RBi7HbNdWA
Walking with my son Edison through Mersham Deer Park on 19/03/20 I comment and speculate about current and future events.
This week the World Health Organisation (WHO) has declared the coronavirus (Covid-19) as a global pandemic. So far we have seen quarantines, self isolations, financial markets crash and supermarket shelves empty as people panic in reaction to the outbreak.
To date we have seen 6,492 number of deaths worldwide and these numbers continue to grow. In the last few few days we have seen France close all schools for the immediate future, the United States ban travel into the country from Europe and major sporting events and large congregations postponed across the world. This is an unprecedented scenario unlike anything the world has seen before.
So what happens next? As the virus spreads and more people die I expect borders to close and travel to be further restricted. I expect areas to be quarantined, curfews inflicted and civil liberties to be reduced as precautionary methods are taken to protect public health. Financial markets will also continue to fluctuate as global economies are affected by workplace closures and the overriding uncertainty caused by the virus.
I have read that scientists in Israel have developed a Coronavirus vaccine but a long period of pre-clinical and clinical trials is set to follow. I have also seen in the last few days that Bill Gates has resigned from his position on Microsoft’s board to concentrate on philanthropy and can see his Foundation potentially fund the global distribution of the vaccine. I suggest that the fear caused by the pandemic could lead to mandatory vaccinations in the name of public health and safety. Financially, the fiat money system may never be the same with paper notes and metal coins demonised because of their threat of spreading infection leading to a new crypto-based, cashless society.
My inner cynic questions the coincidences that ‘Event 201’, a scenario where a a novel zoonotic coronavirus outbreak was modelled by the World Economic Forum and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in October 2019; also that Israel’s Galilee’s Research Institute group had the “pure luck” (as described by biotechnology group leader Dr. Chen Katz) to choose the coronavirus as their model for their system as a proof of concept for their technology. With the advanced nano technology that could permit a vaccine to be be a trojan horse for microchipping the world’s population it would be imprudent to not have concerns.
It remains unknown what will happen although it seems likely that the virus will continue to dominate headlines for the foreseeable future. Whether it is months or years the world we know when we reach the other side of this pandemic is likely to be very different. I suggest the impact this will have on the freedom of the world could be similar to 9/11.
Last year I came across the work of the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP), an independent, not for profit research organisation dedicated to understanding the intersection between peace, prosperity and the economy. The organisation is behind the Global Peace Index, an instrument ranking 163 countries on their respective levels of peacefulness.
Based on my interest in the subject I learnt more about the IEP’s work through their online teaching and subsequently applied for their 2019 IEP Ambassador programme. This post will provide a summary of the key points of my learning.
Established in 2009 the IEP has offices in Australia, the United States, Mexico, Belgium, Zimbabwe and the Netherlands and one of it’s main goals is to create a shift in how the world thinks of peace, through using data driven research to show that peace is a tangible measure of human well-being and development. Society currently tends to think of progress in terms of economic growth, typically reflected by Gross Domestic Product (GDP) but there is an increasing recognition of the need to view societal development, including measures of well-being and peace as benchmarks of progress. Although not related the idea reminds me of the country Bhutan who do not measure GDP but instead Gross National Happiness.
Yet whilst the IEP recognises the emergence of these new needs it does not neglect the importance of the economic and financial benefits of reductions in violence and improvements in peacefulness because that is a key way to motivate government, business, and the public. Promoting the economic benefits of peace is significant as without it, peace could be dismissed as a nice to have; although with economic benefit peace becomes a win win.
The basis of this work comes from the father of peace studies Johan Galtung who defined the concepts of peace used in the IEP’s research: negative and positive peace. Negative peace is the ‘absence of violence’ or ‘absence of fear of violence’ such as when a ceasefire is signed. Positive peace is is the attitudes, institutions and structures that create and sustain peaceful societies. Examples of this are well functioning governments, equitable distribution of resources, free flow of information, good relations with neighbours, high levels of human capital, acceptance of the rights of others, low levels of corruption and a sound business environment. When levels are high in these areas an optimum environment is created for peace to flourish.
These areas are some of the 23 qualititaive and quantitative indicators used by the Global Peace Index to rank 163 countries on their respective levels of peacefulness. The indicators fall into three general categories: societal safety, ongoing domestic and international conflict and militarization and are weighed on a 1-5 scale.
The detail which goes into the Global Peace Index is very detailed and produces a plethora of data for analysis. It is not my intention to go into vast detail within this post as interested parties can access the full report online but I will outline the top-level highlights from 2019:
– For the first time in five years the average level of country peacefulness has improved (by 0.09% from the previous year), with 86 countries becoming more peaceful and 76 deteriorating.
– Iceland remains the most peaceful country and Afghanistan has replaced Syria as the least peaceful.
– Ukraine, Sudan, Egypt, North Macedonia and Rwanda are the countries which showed the greatest improvement in measures of peacefulness.
– Nicaragua, Birkina Faso, Zimbabwe, Iran and Brazil showed the largest deteriorations.
Furthermore over the past decade the following trends have been identified:
– Since 2008 the average level of peacefulness has declined by 3.78%.
– Over the course of the decade, 81 countries deteriorated in peacefulness, while 81 improved.
– Deaths from conflict rose by 140% since 2008 however since 2014 conflict related deaths have fallen by 26.5%.
– 63% of countries recorded increased levels of terrorist activity.
– The Militarization domain recorded a 2.6% improvement in peacefulness.
– A continuing trend indicates a growing gap between the least and most peaceful countries.
Further to the ranking of countries’ respective levels of peacefulness, one of the most notable results from the Global Peace Index 2019 is the economic data:
– The global impact of violence in 2018 was $14.1 trillion, equivalent to 11.2% of overall global GDP.
– In the last 70 years, per capita GDP growth has been nearly three times higher in highly peaceful countries compared to those with low levels of peace.
Overall the strong link between positive peace and economic prosperity highlights both the social and economic benefits of peace. Unfortunately the decline in peacefulness and rise in terrorism within the last decade indicates that the world has not yet been able to apply these lessons. There is also an alarming inequality between countries with high and low levels of peace which is growing. Being able to understand the factors which contribute towards peace and the costs involved is an exciting area of work which should encourage the world to shift it’s resources and strategies from containing violence towards the factors that promote peace. The IEP calculate that “if the world decreased violence by 10%, $1.48 trillion could be directed to other economic activities” – there is incredible scope to solve many of the world’s problems with the savings of a more peaceful world.
The IEP Ambassador programme has been an interesting experience and I look forward to following the findings of the Global Peace Index and sharing my learning further in future years.
More information about the Institute for Economics & Peace can be found on their website: visionofhumanity.org.
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