Following the COVID-19 outbreak, the world is reminiscent of a post-apocalyptic movie. People locked indoors, streets deserted, cities and even whole countries being locked out. Everyone is panicked.

The realization that there is nothing we can do other than slouching on the couch doing nothing is oddly consoling. What if we had to stop ourselves from falling asleep to resist the virus; like in the movie The Invasion? Now, that is a nightmare.

Once we have effectively contained the Coronavirus, we will have an even greater problem at hand; a dismantled global economy. With months of lockout and non-productivity, the global economy will be affected like never before. Experts predict that the economy will not be better than the post-world war era. So what can we do to equip ourselves for this dystopian times?

A course of action

International Labour Organization estimates that Covid-19 will destroy up to 25 million jobs. According to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), it will likely cost the global economy between $1 trillion and $2 trillion in 2020.
Economic times, 22 March 2020

Huge corporations declaring mass layoffs, small businesses going bankrupt and steep decline in GDP are the stark realities of the recent future. There is no point denying that the global economy is grinding to a halt.

But there are some things we can do to stay afloat.

1. Embrace Minimalism

It is highly likely that consumerism has seen its last days. With a global recession that can last for years, no one can afford to be a shopaholic. It is finally time to pay heed to the call of the minimalists. Consume only very necessary things and make maximum use of those at hand. Time has come to do a yard sale and donate the things to those who are in need.
Though it may seem scary at first, minimalism will indeed liberate you from the downward plunge of the economy. You will be impervious to recession and feel peaceful like never before.

2. Start Freelancing

The winds in the job market were already changing, even before the hit. The pandemic will most likely exacerbate the situation. If you rely exclusively on your job for income, you can be vulnerable to a layoff by your revenue-starved company.

The future job trend would be to sell your skills to multiple employers at the same time; in other words, freelancing. Use this lockout time to think about how you can sharpen your skills, market it and make it suitable for such a job trend.

3. Change preferences

It is time to rearrange our preferences and outlooks in life. You might have been a regular in a bar or pub. The days of lockdown have already broken the habit. When the economy is choking, it is better not to go back and spend your last penny there. Give preference to necessities instead.

Rather than whiling away the time with Netflix and social media, choose to learn a new skill. It can be something that you always wanted to learn but couldn’t. In the future, it may turn out to be a new source of income for you; who knows.

You don’t have to be too dependent on the supermarket for everything. Try to be more self-reliant by growing some vegetables in your backyard. Be in touch with such communities that stand for self-reliance. If there is none in your locality, take the initiative and form one.

Heed the wakeup call

Desperate times call for desperate measures. If this is not a desperate time, what is? To escape from the downward spiral of the economy, stop clinging on to it. Give less preference to making money and more to satisfied living.

It is, of course, a sad fact that thousands of people will die of the pandemic. But there is no point lamenting. We brought this upon ourselves.

All catastrophes are wake up calls for us to open our eyes and reanalyze our paths. The greedy devouring and brutal mauling of nature and its resources is the sole reason for such repercussions. At least this time, we should assume responsibility and prevent future calamities by aligning more with nature.

Let us make the post COVID society a self-reliant, nature-loving and minimalistic one.

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