Silver Linings: Global Pandemic Edition

Last Sunday, President Trump announced a 30 day extension to April 30th of federal social distancing policies in an effort to curb the spread of the coronavirus in the United States. President Trump stated that due to the coronavirus’ rapid spread the best case scenario is a loss of between 100,000 and 240,000 American lives with millions more infected; and this doesn’t even account for the havoc the virus is reeking on the American economy. Conservative estimates predict that economic conditions could deteriorate so dramatically that 14 –15 million Americans could lose their jobs by the summer, and no one can truly predict the knock on effects to Americans’ mental health due extended social distancing and increased economic stressors.

This is the news I woke up to this morning, and honestly the world seems like a pretty grim place at the moment. There is no doubt that the damage done by the coronavirus pandemic is going to take long time to heal, and for a lot of people, myself included, this virus will forever change how we interface with the world around us. However, that’s not entirely bad news, and with every gray cloud there is a silver lining.

Here’s just a few of the silver livings that I’ve found amid all the turmoil:

Nitrogen oxide air pollution in China before and during the coronavirus pandemic

1. The environment is getting a well deserved break. Traffic pollution, particulate air pollution, and nitrogen oxide levels have all decreased globally because of global lockdown procedures that were forced in place by the novel coronavirus. In China alone emissions have decreased by a whopping 25%, and Marshall Burke, a researcher from Stanford University, stated that this reduction is likely to have saved as many as 77,000 lives. This, to me, is a clear signal that we should take this time to invest in a cleaner future. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) deaths related to air pollution exposure are on a pandemic scale, and globally account for 7 million deaths per year. Obviously, this is the least ideal way for our planet to get a rest from pollution, however it’s imperative that once the world opens back up that we don’t go back against the grain of progress that was made during the shut down. Governments need to get their fossil fuel consumption under control, and start investing more of their budgets into sustainable and renewable energies.
2. Now’s the time to start your own business. As part of the stimulus package that was signed by President Trump on March 27th, the Small Business Administration has lowered the interest rate for loans up to $10 million to 1%. For example, If you need to borrow $100 to start your new business, you will only have to pay $1 in interest on this loan. What does this mean? The cost of start up capital is the lowest it’s been in years, so take this time to finally start that business venture you’ve been torturing your wife with for the last few years. Take this excess time to sure up a business plan and get ready to launch once the economy opens back up. Interest rates for small business loans may never be this low again, and if you’re serious about finally getting out from under the thumb of your tyrannical boss nows the time to actually make it happen.
3. There is a massive supply of art and creation. Whether it’s TikTok, Instagram, or right here on Medium, people are taking the time during quarantine to create some really awesome projects. Cruise any social media site (except Twitter, we all know that place is a dumpster fire) and you’ll find hilarious videos or talented artists doing time lapse drawings or paintings, checkout Behance to see the amazing things artists can do with computers, find a new podcast to subscribe to, read Medium to learn about something you didn’t know before. Use it as a source of inspiration for your own creative urges, or just entertainment when you’ve finished binge watching all six seasons of The Sopranos. Either way, right now there is no dearth of content, so take the extra time you’ve been granted from the quarantine to enjoy all the amazing things we can create as human beings

Yes, it’s only six days into April, and yes, I am also starting to get cabin fever and lose my mind. However, I need to remember that what’s going on in the world right now isn’t about me. It’s about making sure we can get through this pandemic with as little loss of human life as possible, so in the meantime buckle up and enjoy all the “Savage Dances” on TikTok.