Preparing for the inevitable change
- Imphal Times Editorial :: May 24 2020 -

As the world is struggling to find a solution to the present pandemic which is not likely to subside anytime soon, the way of life we have been acccustomed to just a few months ago seem like a distant past, and the only effective means of preventing the dreaded scourge from spreading uncontrollably is to observe social distancing and maintain personal hygiene as of now.

This new social constraints have posed a very paradoxical problem for the society which is still struggling for a new order or system that follows and complements the natural laws and not based on anthropocentric views and beliefs which has contributed, if only in part, to the current crisis.

There is an urgent and inevitable need for humans to change our old way of life, and change, in any form or magnitude has always been difficult and chaotic.

The first or most basic step should be the acceptance that we are being forced to change our way of life and we need to embrace the truth.

This acceptance and psychological preparedness will go a long way in making the transition or evolution smoother and better.

We are indeed evolving as a society in the manner and system under which we have been living our lives.

We are also evolving as individuals in that we are now required to be more responsible of our actions and behaviours, both socially and otherwise as our actions and habits will have a greater impact on others around us.

We are already witnessing a change in how a few organisations and companies are conducting their business by reducing office goers and making employees work from home.

Several big businesses plan to let much of their staff work from home permanently, even after the pandemic.

Working from home could become the new normal — at least for some. Mark Zuckerberg said as many as 50% of Facebook (FB) employees could be working remotely within the next five to 10 years.

Twitter (TWTR) will allow some of its workforce to continue working from home “forever,” if they choose.

French automaker PSA announced a “new era of agility,” in which its non-production staff will work remotely from now on.

PSA, which makes Peugeot, Citroën, DS, Opel and Vauxhall, said the new work-from-home plans will be implemented in the summer.

Box (BOX) CEO Aaron Levie wrote in a blog post that the cloud-storage company’s nearly 2,000 employees are free to work “from anywhere” until the end of 2020.

Online tutorial and academic websites are having a whale of a time right now, and there is a perceptible shift in a number of parents considering online and home education for their wards even after the present pandemic is over.

These emerging changes are opportunities anyone can make use of.

However, government, both at the centre and the state should be pragmatic enough to grasp the moment and build a base for entrepreneurs in the state to enable first mover advantage in these emerging fields as these changes are swift and uncertain.

But in the frantic rush, we need to make sure that a large number of people in the state are still living in areas where basic infrastructures and facilities to enable them to enjoy the technological progress are still lacking.

The leaders must do the needful without further delay if we are to step into the new world as equals.