Over the last few weeks, I have watched from my screen (and the sixth-floor window of my apartment building) as people have improvised and slowly adapted to our new reality, in a range of creative and exciting ways. Charles Allen’s lecture on Positive Peace made me optimistic – that our resilience and knack of finding ways to cope as a nation will not only carry us through the remainder of our time in quarantine, but also open up new ways of living – within our individual households and as a society.
Two of the focus questions from the lecture – “whether New Zealand’s position as an HPP country has aided us in facing the pandemic”, and the “potential of the pandemic to affect local/global peace” have made me reconsider the very nature of the crisis we are experiencing. Although the fight against Covid-19 is not a war in the conventional sense, it is a war on the structure and on our experience of everyday life – at both the macro and micro levels. Faisal Halabi on RNZ wrote an article about how the current pandemic is a battle not only against the virus, but against dangerous ideologies, damaging media narratives, financial/economic struggles and the spread of fear and uncertainty. (See here at https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/on-the-inside/412738/opinion-we-are-at-war-with-covid-19-and-ourselves).
New Zealand has been described as fighting back so strongly that instead of just flattening the curve in two weeks, we’ve squashed it. The swift, decisive action of our Prime Minister and the government was essential – but so has our resilience been in rising to the challenges of isolation and our commitment to family, community and the continued function of society. From a sociological perspective, I’m very excited about the possibilities of a shift in the nature of work, and work-life balance – as well as to see in what ways the pandemic has potential to affect the nature and manifestation of peace on a global scale. John Keynes (1930) had predicted that technology would have advanced to the point that certain countries would have achieved a 15-hour work week, leaving us with more time to invest in social connection, but also to pursue more of our passions and interests. The nature of work in the present day has become almost inextricably intertwined with the material – a fascination with the things we could have if we worked harder, as opposed to the things we could actually do if our time allowed us to cross easily between the workspace and the home environment. I like to think that Covid-19 could be an essential bridge to the discussion of how we live our day-to-day lives – and whether there isn’t a better way to be close to our loved ones and our passions, one that promotes all areas of well-being and assists us in our working lives.
Another area of
our Scholars discussion that has become a focal point (certainly in my experience of quarantine) is in the way that food has become both an enjoyable and controversial part of living through the pandemic. The standardization of food brought about through war technology and experiences has certainly brought me comfort in terms of packaged and convenience foods – from two minute noodles when the Flame Tree catering doesn’t quite hit the spot, to Oreos and micro-waveable popcorn from the dairy. The familiar and convenient are staples, I’m sure, in many households around New Zealand. But the long hours at home have also brought about a new wave of home cooking – from baking beautiful loaves of broad from scratch, to the “whipped coffee” trend, which I happily took part in myself, upon finding that we had the basic ingredients in our common-room kitchen.
I have so much more to say about being in quarantine, and the questions it has raised for me and encouraged me to think about – on the nature of work, on productivity and our relationships with others and ourselves, but that might need to slot into another post! However, I am optimistic to say the least about the direction our country is taking, and what positive outcomes we might see in the future – from potential increases in global PP indexes, to changes in how we live on a smaller, and more local community level.
Watch this video on one of our secret weapons for the war against Covid-19!
Hi Hela! I love, and totally agree with, your suggestion that the adaptations we’ve made to managing work in isolation have altered attention to, and have the possibility of changing, the current “nature of work, and work-life balance.” Your observation of our obsession with “the material” seems very astute, and related to the policy-level emphasis on productivity and eternal economic growth – something we are seeing reflected in the concerns politicians are voicing worldwide. I have a feeling that for this crisis to be that “essential bridge” you mentioned, real pressure will have to be applied to the discourse that prioritises productivity. This crisis has shown we can facilitate innovations in work-life balance when needed… I hope we can make the necessary shifts in social mindset, too. Thanks for your post 🙂
Amazing post Hela! I love the relentless positivity and personality imbued within it 🙂 Your approach to the crisis, particularly the examination of social change that could result from it is exceedingly perceptive and analytical. The idea that mandated changes resulting from crises could result in permanent social alteration is especially poignant and is an inspirational concept to consider during a time of such adversity. Your sociological analysis touching on the effects of the crisis upon aspects such as work culture and commodity fetishism is highly engaging and has certainly led me to consider the long term effects it may have. Hopefully, the current situation will encourage people to reevaluate their lifestyles and priorities, as it serves as an indication of the excessive value placed upon commodities and resulting skew in the work-life balance. Certainly, it’s led me to consider consumerist tendencies, but it’s also an indication of how we do miss the small stuff – whether its eating out, buying a coffee or being with people. Your reappraisal of society in wake of these events is very astute and indicates how we can collectively ameliorate society following extreme circumstances. Thanks for offering such a unique perspective, it was a great read 🙂