I am beginning to enjoy the covid-19 pandemic. It has forced all those business men to take it easy for a few weeks. I read an article the other month about how daft this idea that we're all going to to make more money, get richer and richer and live forever in a world with limited resources.

The metals that go into the eletronics we all use won't last forever, at some point they won't be able to find anymore. The water we're all busy poisioning isn't in endless supply, it will run out. The solar power panels we're busy putting up here for endless power source, have a lifespan of just 30 years. No shit, what do we do with them then. The same thing we do with the electronics, bury them out of sight, out of mind.

Yes. Covid-19 has forced everybody to take a break and take stock. We're not all following each other to work in tiny steel boxes like ants everyday, no we staying at home with our families. I saw the father of one of my neighbours yesterday hanging out the washing. I have never seen him do that before in the past ten years!

The environment is breathing a sign of relief, the air cleaner that it has been since I was a child everywhere. The crime rate across the world has dropped through the floor. Burglers are staying at home, nobody is being attacked after a night out drinking too much cause the bar is closed. The A&E department is quieter than it ever has been [in some places], sure there are cases with covid-19 there, but far less accidents. The human race has a common enemy and we're actually pulling together. Apart from the odd idiot with his foot in his mouth [did some one say Chinese virus] there is almost no news about terrorists, wars, tarrifs or humans arguing with each other about god knows what.

The world has at the beginning of 2020 slowed down a little and is taking stock of what is important in life. And its a good thing. You only live once. There is no after life. When you die, you die. Make the most of it and leave it in a better state than you found it.

I hadn’t considered the negative economic implications for the burglary profession. Let’s hope that governments are including them in their subsidy schemes.

"We appreciate that these are dark times for people around the world, as the coronavirus continues to spread. Numbers of infections and fatalities are rising, cities and even countries are shutting and many people are being forced into isolation. But amid all the worrying news, there have also been reasons to find hope."

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-51963446

Brave post. I prefer to call them a few silver linings because there is nothing good about the current crisis. Those same guys hanging out washing could soon be drinking, beating their families, sinking into depression etc. because they’ve lost their jobs/purpose.

We’re in very early days

"Coron-19" is NOT a good thing. It sounds so cynical...., please consider changing this thread's title.

However, it is high time for humanity to make some positive changes re. using their resources and environment, supporting their communities, investing more in medical research, public health policies etc etc. Let's hope we'll be kinder to each other, more rational, more humble. Know what it's important and what not. Take care of each other and our world more.

I'm definitely enjoying the change in pace of life. I have a well paid job that has never really needed much interaction with anyone, and I'm not a great socialiser. I'm sleeping well, and feeling healthier than I have for a long time. So long as going for a walk isn't banned...

However, the virus is not a good thing. It is harming many people as are the consequences: https://www.englishforum.ch/sports-f...lp-please.html

Further, the chances are that, like all of us, I'll eventually catch it. I hope it will be mild for me.

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Down with racism. Long live miscegenation!

Nope, that's not going to happen.

Doubt that it is a good thing for the bulk of humanity. The poor are going to get poorer and the rich will sail through unscathed. No real lessons will be learnt, and there will be long term changes to our destructive pattern of life.

No long term changes.

The Germans have a word for it, (they would) "Entschleunigt" or, the pace of life wound down.
There will be consequences, as mentioned before the rich will get richer and the poor will get poorer.
If you look at the aftermath of the Spanish flu of 1919 (wow, exactly 100 years) and look at the stock market nothing much happened, it wasn´t until the Wall street crash that the markets went into a nose dive. So I doubt that in the long term much will change.
As to crime, maybe the burglars will stay at home but the drug addicts and the alcoholics will start to get desperate and I would happily strangle the kids downstairs and it´s only Saturday.

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Back in Bavaria, god´s own belly button.

Moronic title and an even more moronic and thoughtless opening sentence. You might be able to enjoy the downtime without a care but I am working 18 hours a day to keep my business afloat while counselling my clients who are in despair as their small business are forced to close. Finances aside, I cannot get back to my 90 year old mother in England and when I spoke to her yesterday it was for her to tell me that her friend of 50 years had just died of the virus

It’s more like - some people will have the luck and resources to make the best of it, others won’t. If you are the former, and you avoid contagion or serious illness, and can help others, great.


It reminds me of the bullshit phrase “cancer is a gift”. No, it’s not. And neither is Covid-19.

‘I’m alright jack’ was the first thought that can to mind when I read your post.
For many others it’s not so easy.

I worry about the impact of this virus on small businesses. My brother in law was just laid off a week ago amid Corona concerns and cash flow (or lack thereof)and my friend's son, who works in the hotel industry (he works for a small boutique hotel group) was just informed that the hotel where he works in Los Angeles will close for one month and all employees will take a hiatus without pay LA is a pretty expensive place to live; just hope he manages to hold onto his job!

Yep, it's the human race, causing all the problems. For those who didn't know that before.
The amazing thing about this is how QUICKLY air and water recovers in a way that it is visible and measurable. This should be the lesson taken from Corona and somehow yes, it did come at the exact right moment.

An extremely seldom opportunity of proof that it could be changed/stopped. It will not be put to use I guess, mainly because the "golden middle-way" would have to be found between how we lived so far and the rather unrealistic way of living we do at the moment. The human race - the biggest part of it anyway - doesn't seem capable of living the golden middle-way.

I sure am pretty impressed by these effects while we are still eating what we want to (most of us without stock-piling like mad), taking hot showers, hanging on the internet, watch tv and listen to the radio, have heated homes.

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It's all a matter or perspective.
So move your butt and look at it from the other side

How can any pandemic turning into global disaster be good? Unless you are sitting on the throne from above and enjoying watching the struggling masses. It may have some positive aspects but overall global price of virus is too high to pay. We would have been better off without it and if we only came to exact same realization, about saving planet and her resources, in a different way.

My two cents:

My father died of cancer in my teenage years, I learned that when you're in trouble, life gives you a chance to observe people around you. Neighbours who offered so much help, business partners of my dad forcing him to give up his shares, relatives who never called, colleagues who came up with non-sense stories of my mom not selling the house to pay medical bills.

It's like an awakening, but I wish my dad stayed alive.

The idea is not to lose hope in humanity, don't get bitter, good thoughts are important, do what you can to make it better, it is long painful progress but stay close to friends/family who makes you happy. When you see people getting confused, give them time to digest.

What's more important than observing others, is to observe myself, observe my own thoughts and intentions, and dissolve the "self" a little bit, adding less chaos to the system.

Yes. Natur has ways of restoring a balance to a world being destroyed by egotists. Its only the beginning

Yes, I fully agree but that hasn't happened so far. The reduction of human activity has a massive positive impact on the environment even after a month. I really hope that the one thing we take away from this virus, is that changing human behavior matters and helps - even though it is a pain and even if we need to give things up for it.

Such a good post, spaghetti. I hope it won't go unnoticed, like so many good things in life (and people).

Thank you.