Coronavirus Pandemic: Yin and Yang

In Ancient Chinese philosophy, Yin and Yang is a concept of dualism - the ideology of life. Yin Yang can be seen throughout nature. Wheat is Yang – reaping is Yin. Sunbeam is Yang – the shadow is Yin. The river’s flow Is Yang – the waterfall is Yin. In summary, Yin is the bad and Yang is the good, wherever there is good, there is bad - wherever there is bad, there is good. Everything in life is balance. Yin and Yang can be easily seen in the above symbol, the equal sizes of the black and white swirls with the contrasting dot in each swirl. In numerous historical events, the Yin and Ying can be identified. I see many parallelisms with the affects of the Coronavirus Pandemic and the Ying and Yang.

There has been a lot of negativity which has come to light in the beginning stages of the rapid spread throughout the UK. The rising number of lost lives and infections are worrying. You have probably had to make great changes to adapt to the current situation and may even be questioning the future of humanity right now. Yes, it is worrying. And the reaction from others has made things even worse. Whilst carrying out shopping from supermarkets and fulfilling ordrs, salvaging the remains, walking past masked-up shoppers (keeping 2 metres away) – watching people taking pictures of the empty, toilet-roll-less shelves (which contrasts the full racks of Corona beer) – the future does appear bleak. The isolation, the closure of your favourite spots. It is frustrating to see. I like to keep quite active and go to the gym regularly but now they are all closed. When I find the time – I do normally share amazing moments with ‘my dawgs’. But these moments are unlikely to be shared in the physical until God knows when. Many businesses will be shut down and jobs will be lost. At Ordrs, we struggled to facilitate the sharp spike in demand and have had to substitute numerous products, although everybody is understanding – it has been frustrating not to deliver on the great value that we were able to, just a week ago. We have now gone into lockdown mode as we seek a permit from the council to facilitate local delivery requests. However, through this dark period, I can see the light.   

It is easy to notice the negative but don’t ignore the positive. Many rainbows have appeared through the rain. Multiple supermarkets have put in rules to limit the panic-buyers and support the vulnerable. Iceland and many other retailers now open the door to vulnerable people only, for the first hour of opening. Tesco has introduced limits on many products to ensure that they are fairly rationed. It is great to see that supermarket leaders are setting ethical examples for the business world and delivering on their values. Communities have set up aid groups to support those who are vulnerable and people who are self-isolating by carrying out tasks for them such as shopping and pet-walking. Some aid groups are more focused on the mental impact of isolation, providing easy access to an ear to listen. Although we are all in isolation-mode – we are becoming more social, checking up on our friends and making connections with new people. A lot of entrepreneurs will struggle, however, there is a huge growth element in entrepreneurship and although it is going to be painful – I am sure that some growth will be seen whilst adapting to the current climate (it will be tough to see the light for businesses but we must adapt to survive). The government have also created new initiatives to support employers and employees greatly affected by the coronavirus. To keep fit and fill in the void of going to the gym, I now jog in the morning – something which I used to do a lot whilst I was a boxing novice. I have enjoyed it so far – other than keeping me in shape, jogging refreshes my mind. I am probably going to end up quite fit after we overcome the epidemic as cardio does normally come secondary for me - I normally focus on crushing the weights.

Locally, I have seen the amazing Lewisham Local connect people and companies to support the community. I have reached out to the council-backed, Lewisham Local and I am looking forward to collaborating to support the community with them. Until then do check out their current initiatives.

People, businesses and the government are collaborating more than ever before during this period, supporting our neighbours, displaying compassion. I hope that you too see the positives that have come from the negative. Together, we will get through this.

Stay strong, keep in good health and be the light during this difficult time. We will overcome. Yin Yang.