History will tell us any event of a large enough scale will have an effect capable of making changes of if not a permanent basis then ones which last for a considerable length of time. The First World War for example set in motion a series of events that led to our present day societies, that was a huge moment but one which can show the long term effects of something we can never go back on. In more modern times the attacks in New York on the eleventh of September have led to an entire region of this planet being completely destroyed and changed, in many ways it is a before and after event.
When you have such moments there are inevitably changes within your own society and in the immediate aftermath of this the Americans allowed their government to push through a series of draconian spying laws. These were justified on the basis that they would offer protection against another attack. How they are now in reality I don’t know but I doubt they have disappeared, more likely it’s just an example of shifting baseline syndrome. We in the UK had similar and this was amplified after we had a few bombings, the government introduced the Snoopers Charter as it was known by everyone except those trying to push it.
On a less invasive level, in China during the SARS outbreak; one Chinese businessman recognised the necessity of a new approach to online shopping which revolutionised how the Chinese interacted with shopping online. With this Coronavirus the Chinese have relaxed laws around online pharmacies so that not only can you get medicine but you can chat to doctors online and get prescriptions too. This is proving to be incredibly popular and successful, and while it is unclear yet how this online industry will operate once Covid-19 passes, it is highly unlikely they will return to how it was prior to the outbreak.
While I may no be sure of the veracity of the Coronavirus, it is undeniable that it is becoming a worldwide phenomena if it isn’t one already. I’m not denying it’s potential seriousness but I don’t doubt it will pass. What though will the long term results of it be. Italy is currently in lockdown, it is almost inevitable Britain will be in quarantine at one point. We have no idea what it will do to the local economies let alone the world economy. What affect will it have on the supply chain. Will people reevaluate how they store food and supplies. Will we view governments with any credibility when they try to convince us they’re capable of upholding their end of the social contract. Are we just witnessing a New World Order Trojan Horse moment as I saw on a meme today. I have no idea to any of these, but if it continues at it’s present pace there is no doubting there will be some permanent changes we can only recognise in retrospect. These don’t have to be sinister, they could be innocuous, innocent and boring but it will be interesting, assuming I survive, to be able to look back in ten years and observe the changes. I doubt we’re witnessing a before and after moment but certainly there will be something that exists after the event that wasn’t here before.
Observations and Misunderstandings 