We’re hoping to be ‘on a roll’

I’m thinking that the collective noun for toilet paper is a “hoard” of rolls.

Recently someone commented that we don’t have to worry, it will all be back to normal soon.

My response was ‘I hope not’, I’m actually hopeful that we will discover a ‘new normal’ and that this whole C-19 pandemic is an opportunity to move toward a more enlightened and less selfish experience of humanity.

The idea of “getting back to normal” mirrors Donald Trump’s simple philosophy of “Making America Great Again”; I’m hopeful that there is no going back, but the discovery of a way forward, into a better and more equitable future.

When we pause (maybe in self-isolation) and consider ‘what we have’, we might realise that most of us ‘hoard’ more than what we need.

Pause again and consider the norm, we hoard spare rooms from refugees, we hoard food in freezers from the hungry, we hoard our money from those who live on less than $2 per day(736 million).

Hoarding illustrates that greed and self-interest are the norm, and like the current toilet roll scare, it is born out of a fear of not having enough.

The “Silver Lining’ in the ‘C-19’ cloud is that there is (in some places) a movement toward universal giving, a movement that offers the possibility of a new ‘norm’.

What is clear in this time of pandemic is that we have a collective responsibility, only by looking after each other can we look after ourselves and move forward.

Those who have supported IGWR-Nepal, and similar initiatives are one step ahead, they already know that it is in giving life that we receive life.

These two news items show that others are catching on to the idea.....

The (UK) government will pay the wages of employees unable to work due to the coronavirus pandemic, in a radical move aimed at protecting people's jobs.

It will pay 80% of salary for staff who are kept on by their employer, covering wages of up to £2,500 a month. [https://www.bbc.com/news/business-51982005]

New Zealand unveiled a NZ$12.1bn ($7.3bn) stimulus package on Tuesday aimed at cushioning the blow to the economy caused by the coronavirus crisis. The extra spending on health services, income support, wage subsidies for affected business and support for airlines is equivalent to 4 per cent of gross domestic product, which makes it on a per capita basis one of the largest stimulus packages unveiled globally. [Financial Times March 18th]

Be a good Virus and spread the gift of giving