Corona has changed our future. Today we have to make decisions on imaginatively adapting to the situation around us.Our adaptability will determine our future. Common everyday matters, products we buy, the places we live in, the future of friendship and family life will be changed.
The virus has made people think of strange new cultures, new lifestyles. Corona has overturned institutions, shifted our values and shriveled our roots. Too much change in a short time has created stress and disorientation in individuals. Earlier we talkedabout educating people for change and prepare for the future. But corona has proved we are clueless about it.
Virtual meetings are the new norm. The incessant demand for change seen in the past four months makes us believe that the future has arrived abruptly. Children are hooked to gadgets for over 6 hours a day attending classes. Senior citizens are handling new technology to interact with families, friends in the neighborhood and round the world.
Online buyers are frustrated at delayed or cancelled orders asdelivery boys are missing. ‘Delivery Drones’ can come in handy. The government must allow drones for such deliveries.Automation represents the greatest change in mankind’s history.The effects of the technological revolution will be deeper than any other change.
Corona has breached national boundaries. It has altered the texture of our existence.
Today Rotarians are feeling anxious, tense and uncomfortable as pace of life has slowed down. The period of lockdowns threw up incomprehensible conflicts – between generations, between parents and children, between husbands and wives and between people living in so-called ‘gated communities.’ How do we manage the future if we have to live with corona?
What will the Rotary clubs do if this persists? Club service may not be affected due to virtual connectivity. Inducting new members will be a challenge as virtual meetings do not provide the same fellowship. Other avenues of services can also havechallenges as hands-on-service projects may be delayed or shelved. Providing health care facility will be in focus but probably limited to procuring materials through global grants and donating them to health care centers.
The Rotary Foundation is well placed to receive funds since there may be considerable savings for clubs. This period can be used to educate the members about TRF, MOP and Code of Policy of Rotary International. The internationality of Rotary will become stronger with sister-clubs attending meetings/events on-line.
The forces sweeping us can no longer be channeled by bankrupt leaders. By considering the impact of unforeseen circumstanceson human behavior we have to control the pace of change. Continuity, a factor in human life, is an important ingredient for Rotary to survive.
Rtn PRID Ashok Mahajan