Building the future self in a time of stillness
What does it mean to challenge the normality of life that we live in?
It’s 2020. We live in a world where TikTok is a verb for pre-teens and we Zoom each other. There’s a continuous adoption of working-remote, optimisation, and globalisation in the developed economies. All of a sudden, we are confronted with the COVID-19 pandemic that challenges the path that we were all on, and the safety that our minds have built for us.
We are forced out of our safety bubbles, to face and live through the challenge. To get to the next stage, we need to look deeply at what we truly value.
What is the most valuable thing in life?
Depending on who you ask — and depends on if you ask the person before, during, or after the COVID-19 crisis. Everyone has a different answer as to what he/she values.
In the economical world: gold, oil, raw materials are valuable. It is something that requires measurable effort to extract. It is rare. It cannot be reproduced / created.
In the pandemic world: we are confined in a world that’s held still. With -81% decrease in community movement (UK), around 70% increase in internet activities, and -44% stock price change in travel, we are now all sourdough-starter-making home-haircutting DIY masters.
With all the changes in our lives, there is one thing that doesn’t change.
Time.
Before we are able to cure ageing, the time that we have to spend in a lifetime is finite. The day goes on for 24 hour until the second we fade away.
Even in a lockdown, we still have 24 hour a day. The difference is how we spend it.
In the pre-crisis world, we worry about what to spend our time on.
During the crisis, we shift how we spend our time.
After the crisis, we need to think about why we spend our time on everything?
Adaptation
Humans are such resilient animals. We adapt well.
Are you getting acquainted with your COVID-19 self ? Have you realised what you took for granted? Is it the togetherness of shared moments, or is it the curious view of the world that you miss? Can the white-tablecloth dining experience be replaced by your homemade sourdough bread? Even our education and humour changed.
Who will you be?
“Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.” — Soren Kierkegaard
How will you decide what you will do? It should no longer be about weighing the different possibilities to choose the safest / soundest / least resistance / most popular option. We should be able to adapt to use our value to guide our decision making.
You should decide based on why you want to do it.
When the present and future are uncertain, we need to look at the now with a straight-face — be realistic about the world — and trust in our past experiences, to find the real reason that we do what we do.
Your value system will tell you what you value the most, and that should be the only why in how to be.
In the deeper corner of the heart: Is it about where to enjoy a meal, what is the meal, who to enjoy a meal with, or what you talk about during the meal.
The world changes and moves. Value system is relative to the world and its relationship with the world, but it will always be absolute to ourselves.
