I never knew this COVID-19 lockdown would turn me into an activist, but it did. Scary. And if you know me well enough, VERY scary!
My late dad told me once there were two reasons for running - either FROM something or TO something – and that the latter was the better option. So, I took it to mean that I should never quit something unless I had a better alternative in place.
This virus has everyone up in arms. Whether it's Ooms grumbling about not getting their cigarettes and brandy, small business owners bemoaning the fact that their businesses might not survive, parents frustrated with having the kids underfoot all day, or even serious activists who have issues with China and the Chinese Government's policies doesn't really matter. What's done is done and it's a matter of changing course and moving forward.
I like action movies. They help me relax. And sometimes there are some really cool nuggets that one can take from them. One of the movies that I saw recently was Battle: Los Angeles, about a small team of marines (and an air-force officer) who ran a daring mission in alien-infested downtown LA. In the process, they learnt a lot about the alien anatomy (how to kill it with the least amount of ammunition) and how to destroy the control hubs that guided the alien attack force. When they finally return to relative safety, they were told that “Word of how you destroyed that ship is going out to every army in every country.”
That is true here and now, too. Medical teams world-wide are battling this virus pandemic. They are literally battle-field testing new ideas and have already figured out a lot of what works and what doesn't and what the alternatives are. (Those “soldiers in scrubs” deserve medals as much as any other warrior does. But that's a different post!)
Elsewhere, people are realizing that they don't need to buy cheaply made doodads made in countries with dubious moral practices if they can make our own or buy as locally as possible. It might take a while for the movement to gain momentum, but when it does, it will be difficult to stop, especially if it's backed by consumer money.
Being South African, my biggest problem with online purchases from countries other than China has always been the “out-of-the-way-ness” of my country and the prohibitively high import and delivery costs. What I would like to see, is more durable goods coming in from Europe, the USA, Australia and South America and less from Asia. Really not impossible, with enough pressure.
I am in my 40's. That is old enough to remember the days when South Africa had massive international sanctions against it. Our government at the time was made up of stubborn old men who decided that they will then simply “do it ourselves”, and in those years South Africa's manufacturing industry was innovative and booming. I am not advocating for the political policies of the 1980's to return, but we should somehow regain that mindset of doing things for ourselves.
Let us start interrogating our shopping trolleys and only buy what we really need and from local suppliers. Difficult? Yes. Impossible? No.