Collective Culture Born Out of Individual Isolation
After months of shelter-in-place orders as well as even more extended periods of social distancing, the rhetoric surrounding the next steps is widespread. However, the conversations reimagining what our new normal might resemble has transformed from sterile and secluded into collective and social. Potentially borne out of the human spirit’s contrarian nature or, instead, our perspective-shifting solitude, it seems that this natural revolution, or COVID-19, has engaged us in finally seeing the importance of togetherness.
Breaking Down Barriers
The previous barriers that were so meticulously placed to keep thick walls between the “haves” and “have nots” have metaphorically fallen. With nature as our great equalizer, we are stuck in this natural disaster. However, we have a choice. Do we want to spend all of our resources on rebuilding those walls, making our societies at large vulnerable to future disasters, or can we take this moment and recognize that those barriers need not exist in our world nor our minds.
Generation Corona
This crisis has wholly changed our ideal present, and its legacy will continue to seep into generational changes in the future. Generation Corona: A group of entrepreneurs who will never look at sanitary mishaps or the absence of safety funds the same way. The next generations of micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) have been borne into a world in which expectations have no place.
The Role of MSMEs
MSMEs are recognized globally for their contributions to innovation and improvements in economic conditions. Last year, MSMEs' most challenging hurdle that inhibited their growth was lack of belief—the belief that a person can create something substantial and of importance to economic and social value.
* Sustainability: MSMEs make up the economic fabric of communities and are essential to achieving Sustainable Development Goals.
* Adaptability: As the fourth industrial revolution takes hold, these businesses must find balance in how technology interacts with the human body and labor.
* Entrepreneurial Cities: A global movement is allowing talent to thrive unconstrained by borders, moving beyond the United States as the sole hub for innovation.
Conclusion
It is essential to realize that even before COVID-19, there was a trend to dismantle the status quo. The current status quo is vulnerable and unable to provide the solutions needed for future profit. We must address human progress and identity, ending the battle for acceptance so we can begin building an equitable world.