Thank You 2020

09-August-2020

By Mahmood Qannati, Chief Corporate Communications & Marketing Officer, BisB

Against all odds, when disasters strike, they tend to have the exact opposite effect of our worst fears, or the expected worst-case-scenario in the likes of the breakdown of society as we know it. Instead, it brings people together.

Throughout history, this has happened whenever our sense of ‘normality’ broke down, whether it was World Wars, or the Spanish flu – as humanity, we have learned to adapt to harsh conditions, to evolve. If I think of what I’ve experienced in my own lifetime, the Gulf War, the Y2K scare, SARS, and now COVID-19 - never have I witnessed the entire world more united against a common enemy.

Think back to any hardship you’ve gone through in your own life. If you pause, reflect, and think about it, as humans we thrive on hardship. It forces us to wake up, to take a hard look at what is necessary and often it strips away our differences.

We may not like to admit it but we are more at home in a crisis, as disasters force us to band together, to collaborate, because we’ve learned we are far more likely to survive by standing together, as opposed to fighting alone.

The tragedy of our modern world is that life has become safe, we’ve gotten a little too comfortable and a little too set in our ways. We have grown accustomed to being self-sufficient and we grow more detached. We aren’t as tested, we don’t reach out, we don’t turn to others for help, be it our families, our friends, our neighbours, or our greater community.

Of course, this does not mean that disasters are good. By their nature they result in suffering. The COVID-19 pandemic has already had serious consequences on the global economy, on local industries, on job security, placing immense pressure on individuals and governments alike. But understanding the flip side, and embracing the positive can help us weather the storm better. More importantly, it ensures that these lessons learned stick, as opposed to a temporary ‘gratitude’ that is left and forgotten.

The ‘memes’ circulating across the internet are enough to bear witness to what a year it has been and we’re only half way through. First it was the Australian bushfires, the possibility of World War III, the near miss of an asteroid hitting earth, US-China tensions, the death of Kobe Bryant, followed by a series of other unfortunate events - swiftly topped by COVID-19. And yet, just as the internet has embraced 2020 with humour and ‘memes’ as individuals, on an individual and business level, not only have we embraced it - we’ve changed for the better.

Around the world, the situation has left an impression. It has accelerated the adoption of advanced technologies, it has forced us to think faster, to think more creatively. We’ve evolved to work from home more effectively, conducting meetings online and setting up our home offices for optimal efficiency, transitioning to a new way of working with our teams, our partners, and our customers.

We watched streets, once busy, empty, with the world at a standstill. With travelling no longer an option and carbon emissions reduced, we witnessed our planet Earth heal. We were pushed out of our comfort zones and forced to look inward, and learned the art of gratitude and the importance of practicing better mental health. In doing so, we improved our relationships with ourselves and with others. We grew closer to our families, adopted better saving habits, having realised what was truly necessary. We even learned the importance of maintaining better hygiene. The simple daily routine of washing our hands changed, becoming more intentional and mindful.

As individuals in a larger community, we each did our part for the greater good. We learned how to social distance, to safeguard our health by wearing masks, sheltering at home, and changing the way we went about our day. Though the global pandemic itself may be far from over, we’ve already changed for the better. We’ve learned what a difference we each can make, and realised the far-reaching extent of our impact as individuals.

So, to the first half of 2020 I say ‘Thank You,’ and to the second half, ‘Bring it on’.