The world as we know it is changing and I’m excited about that. I don’t crave anarchy and I don’t go out and look for trouble but I am in a unique state of anxiety and excitement about the current state of affairs. Two days ago the UK’s prime minister announced that our country is going into ‘Lock Down’ and that we must remain in our homes for the following three weeks due to the outbreak of a deadly virus. A deadly virus that has spread to every corner of the planet and flipped the idea of daily routine upside down and for many now, life as a whole, has been turned on its head. I understand that this doesn’t sound exciting unless it was read in a sci-fi book or watched in an apocalyptic movie.
But let me explain.
Before I start I want to express my deepest concerns for those effected by Covid-19 and the unspeakable terror that has come for many over the last few months.
But…
Before the Summer of 1914 France had 140 aircrafts of any variety and by the end of 1918 it had 4,500. Within this time Europe was going through the most intense historical moments they had ever experienced. It bought us tanks, flame-throwers, poison gas, tracer bullets… I’m sure the list is endless. You’d think by that list I’m expressing that war only allows for progression within tools of war but within this same period of time Captain Oswald Robertson declaimed that we must start stockpiling blood, women became more appreciated members of society, and significant understanding in radioactivity progressed. Although the former list shows how we evolve on the battle field the latter shows how we evolve ourselves. Society. Community. Civilisation.
These ‘Social Inventions’ have always been the byproduct of disaster. WW1 forced us to learn that we need a system in place for people to donate blood, it was the catalyst for the next big step in women’s rights, and helped to develop huge improvements in x-ray technology. And if that’s not enough, WW2 bought us air pressured cabins, the potential of penicillin, and if these aren’t up to your standard it also birthed the most powerful and influential product known to man; the computer. Without it you wouldn't have a place to read this, nor would I have a place to post it, or a place to type it.
The cold war brought the world space technology but I think I’ve made my point clear. Global issues lead to technological advancement. It makes us think differently and today is no exception. We are living in a time where the biggest threat to our nation and many other nations is not overseas politics or radical thinkers but an invisible, unpredictable virus that inhibits the lives of our friends and family. I think now more than ever, we need to ‘think differently’ and this is the exact reason why I’m excited. I’m excited that people are questioning those in power and if they are handling the situation correctly. I’m excited that people are taking an interest in how things work and if they work. I’m excited that people are taking a second glance at what they previously took for granted. The internet, a national health service, the economy. And are asking questions to those who have been keeping the answers in the dark for so long. Internet providers, the government, Wall Street.
For clarification I’m not making claims that these are bad or evil institutions but rather that it is time that people ask questions regardless of what they expect the answer to be. I believe it’s good to question authority. And what I’m also claiming is that the average salary in the UK is £35,000. Thats £673 a week or £2,019 for three weeks (the duration of national quarantine) and the population of the uk is around 60 million. That means that the amount of money that would be earned within any three week period by the combined population of the uk would be just over £120 billion. Jeff Bezos has around $130 billion.
It’s time to think differently.