The Social Vaccine
According to the latest reports, a vaccine for the current epidemic is about a year away. That’s a long time in trading days, and long time in “but my rent is due at the end of the month and I have no job” days.
As we, a country of 328 million, struggle to cope with the physical illness that has swept the globe, the social illness of near universal economic destruction and emotional panic has cut deeper than any rational person could have imagined.
By the numbers — out of our 328 million people, about 500,000 have been “officially” infected. That’s 0.15%. As in, 15 HUNDRETHS of a one percent. It’s almost unbelievably low. If you’ve watched the news lately, you’d think the number was closer to 25%.
However, as low as the number of infected is, that doesn’t mean that the virus hasn’t taken its toll.
Take a look at this graph of weekly U.S. jobless claims (axios.com):
Absolutely unimaginable. 3.3. million jobless claims. The peak in 2008 that you can see on the graph didn’t even break one million.
The panic that you are about to see around you when everything starts to return to “normal” is going to be absolutely surreal. People can live off of savings, unemployment or family members for a few months. It will be hard, but they can make it a few months.
Right now, with the country shut down as it is, we are in a sort of forced vacation. It sucks, but I’m willing to bet stress is fairly low. We are all isolated in our homes, spending exorbitant amounts of time on social media and Netflix. Eating with our families every night. I dunno, things could be worse. But looking at those unemployment numbers?
What we are doing is not only unsustainable, it is bordering on unrecoverable. If the economy doesn’t come roaring back (and I’m not saying that it won’t) we are going to feel a financial panic much, much worse than what we went through in 2008.
So what can be done about it?
While we wait for a viral vaccine, the best thing we can do right now is to self administer a social vaccine.
Inoculate ourselves against the coming wave of panic that is bound to sweep through our country once we realize its going to take years, not months, for the economy to rebound to pre-covid levels.
Find some sources of inspiration while you browse your Tiger King memes and eagerly await the next Cuomo or Trump briefing. Right now everyone and their mother who ever had an inkling of a aspiration to internet fame is trying to use the vast expanse of the online social network to increase their visibility. There are bound to be a few good ones out there — people who are positive, who are looking at opportunity, who can see the upside through all the media negativity.
They say that fortunes are made in recessions, and I can see why. With chaos comes opportunity as those with purpose, determination and resources make big moves at the expense of those who are unwilling or able to collect themselves.
A viral vaccination is coming. Believe it. There’s a world-altering fortune to be made for the company who gets there first.
But until that happens, and even afterwards, we will still have the economic virus and the social symptoms of that virus to worry about.
Make moves, maintain hope, and search for the upward mobility. It’s out there.
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