Entering into our seventh month in quarantine, most of us have accepted the fact that the world will never be the same. It drastically shifted into something we barely recognize, and it continues to change at a pace that we could not keep up with. And perhaps, this is the very reflection of how we came to be, after all these years.
As human beings settled and learned to harness abilities, the Earth became the subject of their incessant desire to achieve greater things. Mother Nature has witnessed our constant thirst for something more. As a result, the world was never at a standstill. Day and night, people sought growth and development tirelessly, trying to find ways to make life easier, and somehow we succeed. Or so we thought. We cultivated routines and practices, seeking to establish a semblance of structure and order because we thought this would allow us to live better lives. But somewhere along the way, the systems that we built—these systems with which we anchored our way of life, started to collapse. One thing that became so evident, especially nowadays, is that these systems needed to be reset.
Countries all over the world are facing an immense crisis that left not just the health sector gravely affected and vulnerable. This pandemic exposed many underlying economic, political, social, and environmental issues that further worsen the lives of millions of people and living beings in this world. Given that these circumstances require drastic shifts in the way governments and the people think and act, the World Economic Forum recognized the need to make the call for change by unveiling an initiative referred to as “The Great Reset,” which will also be the theme of a unique twin summit they will be organizing in the early part of 2021. This initiative envisions to facilitate collaborative commitments of global leaders from various sectors around the world to foster systems that are more resilient, sustainable, and fair, while requiring a new social contract that puts greater emphasis on human dignity and social justice. This new contract would help ensure that financial and political developments are not given precedence over the progress of society and the environment as a whole.
I initially discovered The Great Reset after watching one of the videos for our Sustainability Management class. What struck me most was the context of the video and how it was able to depict the various struggles of the people and the environment. Ultimately, it embodied a serious call for us to make a change.
Our world has suffered and is continuously suffering a devastating loss that can never be easily healed. Months after and we are still struggling with the increasing number of COVID-19 cases. Aside from this, there is unrest in our society, and the environment seems to worsen as time pass.
Most days, thinking about everything that is happening right now makes me feel hopeless and weak. But I realized that if I start giving in to these negativities and simply wait for problems to subside, won’t it be just a waste of time and opportunity? I have been given a chance to learn and be educated. Utilizing my learnings to contribute to the betterment of society is a way to make something out of this privilege. I am not only a part of one organization but also of an extensive community that encompasses everyone in this world. If all of us just wait and hope for solutions to materialize, we are just going to be rooted in the same circumstances that would be detrimental in the long run. If we do not move and push forward, we will always be stuck in the repercussions of our actions, without really doing anything to correct them.
Future generations will bear the brunt of our mistakes, and they may not be able to enjoy the same benefits that we enjoy right now. None of us are getting any younger, and the circumstances are not getting any better. By simply opening our eyes and looking around us will make us see the need to act now. So, I take it upon myself to heed the call and pursue this journey for change, albeit it being difficult and uncomfortable, because this is how we grow and how we become. Growth cannot only be limited to the amount and degree of the results. It also lies in the process, in the practices, in the grueling and painful transitions of the hows.
The Great Reset is one of the many endeavors that spur people to act now and make a change. We need to recognize that our systems need a reset. And the most important thing is to realize that we all have a role to play. We cannot succeed with the actions of just a few. We are all members of one family, and we all deserve to have a place in this home, but this home also deserves the commitment of its people. It deserves to be protected and fought for, in the same way that the Earth has done for us for over six million years. So, this time around, it is on us.
The author is an MBA student of the Ramon V. del Rosario College of Business, De La Salle University. This article is part of her blog, a requirement of the courses, Sustainable Business.
The views expressed above are the author’s and do not necessarily reflect the position of De La Salle University, its faculty, and its administrators.