Quite frankly, many are simply stuck in echo chambers of their own choosing — where diversity of opinions, facts or arguments are swept aside with distrust and disdain. It is also human nature to place outsized weightage on perceived “wrongs” as compared to “rights”. This is why it takes years to build a sterling reputation but only one instance to destroy it all. We know there are people who are worse off financially and struggling, but equally, there are also opportunists who exaggerate the negative, if only in hopes of getting more handouts.
Fear, anxiety, fatigue, frustration, desperation, grief and anger — we are all feeling at least some of these emotions as the Covid-19 pandemic drags on in a seemingly never-ending loop. To say that the past 16 months have been stressful would be a gross understatement, whether you are a large or small business owner, worker, parent or someone with elderly parents.
With emotions running this high, it is not surprising that the issue about management — or, rather, mismanagement — of the crisis has become intensely personal. Everyone has a view, whether it is to extend stringent lockdowns or relax restrictions, how to balance the trade-off between lives and livelihoods, when to reopen and what criteria to use as well as the dangers and consequences, and so on and so forth. Even more interestingly, all are absolutely certain they are right.
