One outcome of this emergency is that the public is reassessing what sectors of society are critical to the continuation of that society - and the discovery is that it's the little people that government usually ignores. The fashion industry, sport, entertainment, the hedge fund businesses, scented candle manufacturing - they're all nice to haves, but they're less than essential in a crisis and some are actually a hindrance. They arise only once the essential foundations of a functioning society are in place - food, warmth, shelter, health and security - the bottom layers of Maslow's hierarchy of needs. Once there is a surplus of the essentials, then the fripperies emerge to adorn the exterior.
Resilience is not a feature of many societies, where bigger is often considered better. Once this current situation is past us, we need to reassess what needs to continue to be centralised - such as command and control - and what needs decentralising - such as community, responsibility, mutual co-operation and sustainability.
The success of the internet is due to there being no single point of failure that brings the entire system down. Rather, it is a system that has redundancy built into it - parts may fail without bringing the entire system to a halt. Basically, it's inefficient, but resilient due to that inefficiency.
Here is a good definition of resilience; "It is the capacity of a social-ecological system to absorb or withstand perturbations and other stressors such that the system remains within the same regime, essentially maintaining its structure and functions. It describes the degree to which the system is capable of self-organization, learning and adaptation."
The omnivore has a far greater chance of success than either a carnivore or a herbivore - it's adaptable. Someone who is multi-skilled can adapt and find employment in times of crisis. Specialisation and increasing reliance on other specialists to do what you no longer can, due to your specialisation, sows the seeds of societal destruction.
We have created a society where the majority is not adequately resourced to cope with stressors. It is small wonder that the Scandinavians, who are more socially minded, were able to administer succour faster and on a greater scale than the UK, where the cult of the individual and the neo-liberal mantra of increased efficiency in pursuit of profit has taken root over decades. Right wing, market-led, competitive orthodoxy is not a solution to crises such as this, nor indeed climate change - it merely fans the flames, so to speak.
We are living in what will possibly be a seismological shift in our culture and society, if we learn from the experience. If we don't learn from it, we're doomed to repeat it.
This situation is also highlighting the large number of stupid people in our culture.
Resilience is not a feature of many societies, where bigger is often considered better. Once this current situation is past us, we need to reassess what needs to continue to be centralised - such as command and control - and what needs decentralising - such as community, responsibility, mutual co-operation and sustainability.
The success of the internet is due to there being no single point of failure that brings the entire system down. Rather, it is a system that has redundancy built into it - parts may fail without bringing the entire system to a halt. Basically, it's inefficient, but resilient due to that inefficiency.
Here is a good definition of resilience; "It is the capacity of a social-ecological system to absorb or withstand perturbations and other stressors such that the system remains within the same regime, essentially maintaining its structure and functions. It describes the degree to which the system is capable of self-organization, learning and adaptation."
The omnivore has a far greater chance of success than either a carnivore or a herbivore - it's adaptable. Someone who is multi-skilled can adapt and find employment in times of crisis. Specialisation and increasing reliance on other specialists to do what you no longer can, due to your specialisation, sows the seeds of societal destruction.
We have created a society where the majority is not adequately resourced to cope with stressors. It is small wonder that the Scandinavians, who are more socially minded, were able to administer succour faster and on a greater scale than the UK, where the cult of the individual and the neo-liberal mantra of increased efficiency in pursuit of profit has taken root over decades. Right wing, market-led, competitive orthodoxy is not a solution to crises such as this, nor indeed climate change - it merely fans the flames, so to speak.
We are living in what will possibly be a seismological shift in our culture and society, if we learn from the experience. If we don't learn from it, we're doomed to repeat it.
This situation is also highlighting the large number of stupid people in our culture.
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