Looking back at the world’s last year, there is one constant, one red herring throughout all countries and all lives: change. Even before Covid-19 set in, the world was already facing changes that went beyond our individual lives and impact, but had an impact on our individual lives nonetheless.

Symptomatic were the various revolutions and rebellions all over the place. There were the School Strikes for Climate Change, the protests in Hong Kong against the new law that would decrease their freedom and respecting of human rights, while increasing Beijing’s influence. In Latin America, from Honduras to Argentina, people were more often taking the streets protesting against their governments, the economic crisis, the dream of a better future.

Geopolitical Change

Geopolitical changes were becoming more visible.

There was the trade war of the United States with China, which was only one storyline in the bigger movement of geopolitical powers in our world. Whereas before the US and Europe would have been at the pulling ends of history, the last years China had gained power and influence all over the world, while the US was backing off of the international scenery. Not only did they withdraw of the WHO during Covid-19 they made the same move with other UN organisations before.

While those two giants were standing up and against one another, Europe felt like disintegrating.

At one end there was the Brexit that took place after years of negotiating, marking not only the disintegration of the European Union, but of the United Kingdom as well. At the other end there was the continuing unrest and dissatisfaction in Eastern Europe. Ukraine’s Crimea was annexed by Russian military violence, while countries such as Hungaria openly choose to turn their backs to Europe. Various far-right-wing political parties gained more votes than before, calling out terrorist, globalism, or migrants.

Climate Change

While the political powers were fighting for their position in the world, more and more people took the streets for the interests of the planet. Protests spread over the world against the increasing impact of climate change, and the increasing harm to nature by us, humans. There were the Amazon rainforest fires, and the Australian bush fires. Fire men all over the world were fighting increased bush fires and droughts, going from the United states until the arctic Russian zones.

These episodes of fighting against drought and fires, were sometimes interrupted by episodes of flooding and tropical storms. In the meantime, coastal areas were fighting against the rising sea level, the melting arctic, the increasing acidification of the oceans.

No country escaped. No human life hasn’t been changed by climate change; although some have more means than others to cope with it, and some are affected more.

Economic Change

However, behind this political and environmental battle ground there are economic powers steering the wheel. Trade relations were to be created or suspended, the stock market kept on dancing with fossil fuels, while most companies still put economic interests before the planet and even their own people.

Change was seen however, in two ways. At one side more and more companies, and even investors were soon putting the planet higher in the hierarchy, than profit solely, others even put their own people back before money.

At the other side, the economic system, based on the vain hunt for profit, had started to show its cracks, calling for more profound change. If the economic collapse of 2008 hadn’t functioned as a wake-up call, then the individuals collapsing under the economic pressure might have had a personal wake-up call.

The economic system where profit goes before planet and people isn’t sustainable, not even financially.

Altogether, the world before Covid-19 was already a world full of change. Moreover, the revolutions before Covid-19 forced us to stay home, showed that there was the will to change. We were already reaching the tipping point when it might have been all enough, and change could have been the only option to cope with the changes we were facing.

Corona, however, could have functioned as a catalysator or a stabilator for change. But that’s for tomorrow.

This article is part of the series of Hope in Times of Corona. Read

1. How this too shall pass
2. how this times of self-isolation should not mean loneliness,
3. how you can contribute to this battle,
4. how gratitude lights up the dark,  
5. how united we will stand strong
6. on the most util strategy in awake of a crisis
7. how I got blown of my feet as well, but caught by many caring hands,
8. how being calm can get us through the storm.
9. about Love in Times of Corona
10. how to discover your own talents
11. why we need stories to hold on to
12. how you can be creative and innovative.
13. how to spend your mot valuable assets in times of Corona.
14. how to listen to the sound of silence.
15. How breath taking Corona really is.
16. discover the other freedoms Corona has shown us,
17. about the new-born freedom Corona gave us.
18. about another way to exceed your personal bubble.
19. about the position of nature in this entire story
20. about nature bouncing back
21. about the crucial choice between resilience and resistance
22. about the game to play
23. about star gazing in dark times
24. About looking for Meaning
25. About how Music Connects
26. about what Easter and Corona have in Common
27. About the Shark and the Turtle
28. About the Irony of Distance
29. Why to Hold on
30. Fake News
31. about The Big Unknown we live at
32. about Feeling Alive
33. About turning obstacles into opportunities
34. about what the Birthday of my nephew learned me about life 
35. About where we should go from here?
36. About coping with incertitude
37. About the Great War and the Great Pandemic, and we should not forget
38. about history’s most important message, echoed by corona
39. How one country could rule them all
40. About how to prevent the next Green Pandemic 
41. about how we are experiencing a new episode of our history books
42. about when the poppy flowers
43. about what’s in a number
44. masks off, how a friend in need is a friend indeed
45. What’s Next. after we flattened the curve?
46. how will our personal story look like in a post-corona world?
47. why we should never let a good crisis go too waste.
48. How Spring can happen in Autumn
49. How to unlock the lockdown
50. Why education matters
51. How we can give meaning to the meaningless deaths. (rethink health care)
52. The remarkable marketability of health, or not?
53. the remarkable rewards of health
54. The queeste for global health care 
55. Health Heroes
56. Pains and Gains 
57. Solidarity 3.0
58. Work-Life Balance
59. Home sweet home
60. Real Connections
61. Leadership 3.0
62. gratitude 3.0
63. Respect 3.0
64. Humanity 3.0
65. Change Management
66. Economic Catharsis
67. To consume or not to consume?
68. Travel the world, travel your heart
69. Barrels of Life
70. People, no Number Management
71. Back to the Office?
72. Those jobs …
73. Economic Growth or Green Growth
74. Global trade, global fate
75. Act local, think global
76. A changed climate for Climate Change
77. Love is in the Air
78. From Fatamorgana to Oasis
79. From Covid-19 to Forest Fire
80. 5 Shades of Fossil Fuels
81. Water, divide and unite
82. Almighty Ocean
83. Plastic Free July
84. Thin Line of Change
85. The Story of Corona

Or wait until tomorrow, when I’ll shine another light on yet another positive corner of this dark time.