There is hope.
Stories of hope and gumption from conversations I’ve had the past twelve months.
There is much tragedy in the world — but there is also much hope. In the course of the past twelve months, I’ve had the good fortune of connecting with people who reminded me of that truth. There are so many companies out there trying to be a force for change, so many individuals trying to be a force for good.
The following below inspire me. They might inspire you too.
The list is in random order. I deliberately withheld mentioning specific names and brands. What I’m trying to highlight here are hopeful ideas and solutions that might actually work for the greater good.
1 When news about George Floyd broke out, a multinational tech company decided to take a stand for racial equity by veering away from its facial recognition software.
2 “Only 20% of students are able to complete their journey from enriching education to gainful employment. The odds can be improved,” said a CEO whose edtech company is bent on giving guidance to students so they embark on careers that are fulfilling and afford them a decent life.
3 More and more people are advocating for the new normal to be a green one.
4 There are at least two recruitment firms — whose co-founders do not have a single drop of Filipino blood — that are working for the ethical recruitment and treatment of Filipino domestic workers in Hong Kong.
5 A real estate crowdfunding platform allows investors to invest in property for as low as Php 1000. (that’s roughly US $20.). This is an opportunity that overseas Filipino workers might want to tap. A remittances firm CEO told me that less than 5% of overseas Filipino workers set aside their remittances for savings and investments.
6 Businesses showed their solidarity to those badly affected by the crisis by offering select services and products for free for a limited time.
7 A zero-waste grocery subscription service was founded by co-founders who used to be in the business of creating marketing materials made from single-use plastic. When they realized they were contributing to the global landfill problem, they pivoted and started a company with a refilling solution.
8 The novel coronavirus vaccines were developed at a record pace. A director general of a vaccine institute reflected on the silver lining: “It would be wonderful if we could also apply these great technological leaps to global health problems that have been affecting us for so long that are too difficult to solve.”
9 A popular messaging app affirmed that its commitment to privacy is real. “We don’t want to sell private discussions to make money. Overtaking *** is not an objective; we want to be a sustainable alternative,” said its CEO.
10 Parents are being awesome-r than usual and are stepping up to the triple duty challenge of parenting, working, and teaching from home. Thank you, parents!!
11 A food company with a popular biscuit stick product created a free edutainment app so kids can learn useful skills like basic coding.
12 Consumers are seeking nutrition beyond satiety. They now also care about the sustainability of food products. Everything you do affects everyone else. Note how a virus from China disrupted lives from hundreds of thousands of kilometers away.
13 Consumers are far from helpless. They can help fix the food system and make it more sustainable by changing their food habits and choosing produce that are less harmful to the environment, an academician with a focus on agriculture said. Don’t belittle your purchasing power. You can change the world with your choices.
14 A socio-ecological enterprise considers itself to be a customer service company at heart and vows to take care of its employees as much as it can. “The goal is to keep all people employed and pull through together,” its founder said.
15 After living in a Latin American country where the abuse of women was commonplace, a founder decided to set up a cause marketing firm so businesses that sign up with them can donate a dollar for every sale they make. Most of the chosen organizations the donations are awarded to are pro-women empowerment.
16 Did you spend your time sheltering in place writing a book? There’s now a crowdfunding platform so aspiring creatives can publish their works.
17 The growing clamor for bicycle lanes, better public transport, and planning the urban landscape with foresight. Yes, please!
18 An increase in awareness of the importance of mental wellness. This contributes to the destigmatizing of the subject.
19 Small-scale fishermen in this one province used to use bubble wrap and duct tape to store their tuna catch in lieu of coolers. A cold chain company designed affordable, eco-friendly, livelihood-supporting coolers for them.
20 “Each pan de sal, every cake that we bake is an act of resistance against the bigger epidemic of fear and grief, because breads and cakes symbolize simple happiness and indomitable hope,” asserted the owner of a popular bakery.
21 A group of doctors and scientists are piecing together the COVID-19 data puzzle gratis by partnering with healthcare centers from around the world. This will lead to a better understanding of the disease and of treating it.
22 A startup founder told me (this is a paraphrase), “We can withstand this crisis. Startups are scrappy. We’re used to operating with limited resources.”
23 There are always opportunities, even in a down job market, said a career coach. She also advised taking care of your career, rain or shine, because no one will ever care for what happens to your career more than you.
24 “You are not your job,” reminded a psychologist for those who lost their jobs as a result of this pandemic. “It’s important to remember that old adage that it’s a business and that it’s not a personal affront.”
25 Did you know the country actually has a space agency?
26 Busy people share why their morning routines set them up for success. An effective one maximizes productivity and creativity. During these uncertain times, we control what we can and let the rest of the s**t go.
27 There are at least two firms that are helping the unbanked (or those without a bank account) and underbanked (or those who have at least one bank account but rely more on cash transactions) take part in the digital economy. 44 million Filipinos were unbanked as of last year. Additional trivia: the founder of one of these fintech firms is a Filipino immigrant from Canada who chose to come back home to solve “real-world” problems.
28 An intrepid inventor won an international award for creating a plastic-like material made of upcycled crops that converts ultraviolet rays to electricity.
29 There’s a blood test that’s on clinical trial right now that claims it can detect deadly diseases like cancers at a very early stage. The initial results show that the test, which utilizes glycoproteins (or proteins with sugar), has a 95% accuracy. This is a gobsmacking game-changer for medicine. If the company makes true its promise, then cancer will one day be as harmless as a mild headache. Imagine that. Watch out for this development.
30 A business leader known by his initials said that we have to find a way to adapt and evolve because what other choice is there. He also paraphrased Winston Churchill: “Success is never final. You’re only as good as your last deal, your last quarterly results. And then the world expects more of you. Success is never final, so savor your success today because guess what? People expect more from you tomorrow. Failure is not fatal either. It’s part of the rich tapestry of life. Don’t feel impervious to failure, whether it’s in business or your love life. Know that it’s a fleeting moment — whether it’s success or failure.”
31 A government official quoted a part of taipan John Gokongwei’s speech at the 2002 Ateneo School of Management launch: “Ironically, I look back at the war with the fondest of memories. It was the great equalizer. Everyone lost fortunes big and small. We all started at ground zero. Ground zero meant living on our wits alone. Ground zero is when I discovered I was an entrepreneur.”
32 Everyone realizes that this period is The Great Reset. It’s also The Great Rethink. You’re rethinking the way you do things. You’re also rethinking the way you think things. This is the time to figure out what you truly want and need. This is the time to figure out what your purpose is.
I might add more bullet points here. After all, 2020 isn’t over yet, but these are some of my top conversations of the year so far.
