It is only on the brink that people find the will to change. Only at the precipice do we find the will to evolve. These illuminating words of wisdom have likely found expression throughout human history even before they were framed and enunciated in such a manner in the 2008 movie, 'The Day the Earth Stood Still'. They signify, of course, that humanity grows by overcoming adversity but there is more to it. It also signifies that we only truly attempt to move forward when the failure of our ways becomes evident. As a race, we only attempt to fix things when they are already at breaking point.
COVID-19 did not simply blindside us and render us helpless in the same way as the robot Gort did to humanity in 'The Day the Earth Stood Still.' Indeed, if our society was indeed flipped on its head, it was more a matter of our fragility rather than the absolute nature of this crisis. What Covid exposed was the many cracks and signs of rot that had continued to eat away at the base of our world and its systems for a long time. The virus simply kicked the legs out from under a world society that was, at best, limping forward. The fragility and inequity of our systems of governance, healthcare, economy, etc., was already a daily reality for many but the pandemic brought home these realities to those who see history as something that happens to others. At the beginning of this year, many of us did not know what to expect, did not see the encompassing nature of this crisis. Now, at the end of 2020, we are all weary, hardened and hopefully wiser. 2020 has taught us many lessons as people, as nations and as a species. Above all, 2020 is proof of human resilience and capability under fire. From being virtually unprepared and caught unawares like a deer in the headlights, we have rallied together and produced several vaccines at a previously inconceivable pace. Although there are worrying signs that our baser proclivities will mar our moment of triumph (vaccine nationalism, monopolies, etc), there are also reasons to hope that we will rise above.
Just as 2020 reinforced our faith in science and expertise, it has also (largely) restored faith in our governments. Government interventions, a much-maligned concept in recent times was revealed to be a critical factor in keeping our economies and societies afloat in this time of crisis. Governments had learning to do as well. The pandemic upended many of the assumptions about good governance and the strength of advanced nations. Many of the world's greatest economies did not better (and in fact, some did worse) than other less developed economies. While major economies like US and UK failed to mobilise their considerable resources and expertise to effectively tackle the pandemic, smaller nations like Vietnam and Senegal had much more success rallying their limited resources behind unified agendas that served them well at a time when the world's largest economies were facing an uncontrollable crisis. There are indications that leaders throughout the world willfully ignored warnings from the scientific community regarding the state of health security and general vulnerability of current health systems to sudden, expansive shocks like the ongoing pandemic. While it is indeed too early to condense the learnings for good governance to arise out of this crisis, it is a safe bet that health security will finally get its due as a vital part of national security, inducing governments to take an active role in providing inclusive healthcare. Our systems of work and education will also likely be changed for good as 2020 emphasised the need for operational flexibility. Remote-working and remote-learning will likely not simply be specific coping mechanisms to the pandemic but will rather represent a new way for us to learn and work. Many major companies realised that work from home is in no way less efficent and has many additional practical benefits. Some companies such as Twitter went so far as to say that work from home will remain part of the new working model for good with a signifiant portion of their workforce expected to work permanently from home. On the education side, remote learning has created an opportunity to extend the reach and scale of our systems of education to never before witnessed levels. Again, these are not simply coping mechanisms for 2020 but the true evolution of our existing systems that can and must be continued. Finally, one of the biggest lessons of 2020 is not specific to people or governments. It is the message of compassion and human concern, The pandemic highlighted that selfishness is not only morally problematic but detrimental in a practical sense as well. This pandemic and indeed any future crisis cannot be tackled by one nation or even a group of nations. In a simpler sense, the health and safety of your neighbour is also your concern. Ultimately, 2020 is a year that can end with a level of optimism that only a crisis can bring out. There is hope that while humanity stumbled into 2020, it will confidently swagger out towards 2021, head held high and eyes clear with surety and self-confidence.