On May 2nd these were some of my concerns about #covid19Response. Based on a Toronto Citizen’s point of view.
I live in Toronto in the Eglinton West neighbourhood. In Toronto, like Manhattan, Paris and London and all big cities, we live in neighbourhoods. It is close to a famous intersection called Yonge and Eglinton. Eglinton is so famous, that one April 1st, a “news item” got published that had the government petitioning to “add the G, back into Eglinton, because that how we in Toronto pronounced the work and millions of dollars to change all the street signs. So famous that, people railed, they ranted, they came up with better ideas, they memed. So famous, that people got fished and they raged at the stupidity of government on facebook, twitter and various CBC call-in shows. They believed in the stupidity and illegitimacy of government more than the silliness of the idea. When I heard it that April 1 on Metro Morning with Matt Galloway. I smiled, and thought, “Wait, What?!”, and then I paused, laughed and remembered it was the first of April. Ah, le jour des poissons. Franchement, les blagues.
I digress. I am here to share my concerns, but it was important to tell you where I live to give it context. These concerns are from May, 2nd in Eglington West, Toronto, Ontario, Bilingual Canada; after getting set up and purely working from home with 4 in my immediate family, since March 9, 2020; after tracking covid19 since the week of January 20th. We have been living and working at home now for just over 40 days. That's a long time. Not as long as in Wuhan or all long as it will be in NYC, but it is a long, long time, and I have concerns today that are very different from my concerns I felt in March. And, they are similar too. In March, I was worried about basic safety and health for me and my kids, a good supply of dried goods, some luxuries just in case, and an escape route out of the city and a place to go… just in an emergency. But now it is May 2020. And this morning, conversing with my friend J. in letters, emails really, I was asking him what his concerns were.
Firstly, I want to share that one of the unintended consequences of covid19, is that I am writing more and conversing more in letters and long-form notes. This is similar to how Fitzgerald and Hemmingway conversed and Franklin and his son too. Secondly, I wrote my concerns as an example to model to J. how easy it was. I write my top ten or so every few days depending on how much scenarios here and elsewhere change. It generally takes me about fifteen minutes to write them. They are just my concerns, so I try to rhyme them off fast and I don't slave to much to see if they are logical. It is not a plan. They are just concerns and I know we all have them.
So here they are. They are judge-able and they are honest. I don't know if they are correct or not. It is just a list that I can do things with in the future… like, for instance, share it with people. The list does speak to my state of mind. And that is what it is. It is not your state of mind, nor do I mean to change your mind.
So here is the May Day list:
My Top 5 concerns Meditation.
1. How will this impact my kids and how will they find happiness?
2. Will the depression go on for more than 2 years?
3. I need a better plan to operate. My current plan of a main stream of revenue, ith some small ones and a hedge with real estate is not good. I want to find new ways of creating and working. A new set of business.
4. The last time I owned a business…it did not go well. And, it did blow up. That was terrifying and traumatic.
5. I am worried some of my ideas will never come to fruition. And that makes me sad.
6. I have trepidation and excitement about the new tribe I am building in reaction to these crises
7. I am tired of writing hypothesis, crisis and pandemic in plural. That’s crazy. Crazy is bad.
8. I am not afraid. I have to check on that every day. Overconfidence and optimism can lead to bad decisions
10. I am concerned with the “unconscious people”. They are dangerous.
11. I am concerned with the carpetbaggers and conmen and bullies preying in the weak in times of big shift of economy and power.
12. I am concerned with the zota rich… they abuse their hoarding of cash for their progeny. I hate that. It is too much money in too few hands.
13. Not knowing what the next economy gives me angst… It is also exciting .. I see silver linings and good unintended consequences.
14. I am worried that is people see me enjoying this change and big powershift and reset, excelling in it, and happy. They may that I am one of those carpetbagger conmen. I don’t want that. I want to do good and also be perceived as doing good.
Yeah. Sometimes, I write more than 5. I save them in Evernote.
I am breathing. That meditation felt good.
Have you read Zen and the Art of Motor Cycle Maintenance? It is good in these times. I learn from it like a bible and a reference manual.
How about Walkaway by Doctorow. J. you should read Walkaway. It is Sci-Fi but about now too. It is useful. It is another Manual.
What are your concerns?
Does it help to write together like this in the comments below? Or is it not useful to you?
What’s next?
I am really glad you’ve joined in and are leaning in to help. I hope that is this is useful for you too. I like it when my groups and tribes overlap. It’s how I live and do business. In the Overlap.
I am tagging these ideas with the tag #covid19sharing — as in these are the ideas that I want to share in response to the pandemic and its huge cascading events impacting Earth where we all live. Namaste.
#iaconcept #iastory #omega24 #covid19sharing
