Dads! Is There Room For Optimism For The Future During A Pandemic?
We live in dangerous and challenging times. The world is in the grip of the worst pandemic in 100 years, which shows no signs of abating, due to mishandling of public health by so many governments.
Political unrest is rife, with even with the governments of democracies like the United States of America demonstrating unprecedented authoritarian activity near its general election, such as openly suppressing the everyday person’s right to vote, and striving to install their favorite judges who are willing to do its bidding at the very highest level of the Supreme Court.
Even the Governor of Michigan and the Mayor of Wichita, Kansas have been threatened with kidnap and murder by right wing terrorists simply because they dared to try and protect public health, by agreeing to impose lockdowns and mask mandates.
It is easy as a dad to feel powerless to protect and defend your own family, in all the craziness; the other day I spoke to a truly paranoid dad (no judgment, just fact)who was fundraising on a crowdfunding platform to buy a bullet proof vest for his young son. Other dads have created bulletproof inserts for children’s backpacks, and purchased and other protective clothing for their children who were being forced to return to school.
If we are painting a dire picture for the prospects of world recovery from COVID-19, climate change disaster and political extremism and incitement right now, fear not, because nonethless we do however feel that light is at the end of the tunnel.
Is there Hope? Can Things Really Change For the Better?
Let’s start with the business and public community.
Businesses and politicians have spent the majority of 2020 promoting a message of unity, via the Black Live Matter movement, which has transcended race, creed color, economic class and religion. It has been a light of hope in all the darkness, everywhere from sporting leagues like the NFL, and the English Football League.
Even conservative politicians like Mitt Romney have been spotted supporting BLM marches, and it is true to say that the formerly marginalized issue of systemic racism has now been brought to center stage across the world.
Health wise, the lockdowns have seen a huge boom in the home fitness equipment and apparel industry, as gyms and sporting events like Tokyo 2020, the Premier League and the NBA have been forced to shut down for extended periods of time.
Renowned companies like Adidas have been promoting a message of hope and optimism for the future.
The lockdowns have caused a partial climate recovery across the world, enabling entire cites to have cleaner air for the first time in years, with carbon emissions falling due to the fall in traffic in many major cities.
This emphasis on sustainability has encouraged many consumers to focus on the quality of the goods that they buy, and household budgets have been hit so hard by the economic crunch caused by the pandemic and governmental mishandling of public health. You should learn more about how businesses are conducting consumer and brand research, so as to keep pace with requirements of the more discerning consumers by contacting the public relations departments for most companies webpages or social media.
You’ll find that most are way more receptive to inquires than in the past, as they more acutely aware of the need to be socially responsible to the consumers they serve.
So whilst we do not yet know when we will be able to pull out of this pandemic spiral, there is some cause for optimism for the future. We owe it as fathers to our children to hold those in power, and whose goods and services we buy to support good causes, to take action to preserve our environment and to support those who are disadvantaged in societies across the world. With that in mind, make sure that you take time to educate and talk to your children about this election, during these turbulent times on these important issues, as they will be the leaders of a new world order.