What really matters right now?
Amidst an unprecedented global pandemic, we humans have been largely reduced to infectious disease numbers and death tolls, while simultaneously being forced to put other important life factors aside — or atleast placed on a lower priority scale.
Consequently, the world has been collectively suffering.
Our mental health has hugely suffered. Anxiety & depression has been increasing at an alarming rate. Stress and fear is at an all-time high. Physical wellbeing has been largely left to the wayside with group fitness & gyms a novelty at best (we definitely under appreciated them when we had ‘em), and at worst, a foreign concept and distant memory.
Quite frankly, we are the unhealthiest we may ever be as we know it.
Furthermore, the disparity of those disproportionately affected in the past year+ has begun to illuminate deep issues in regards to gender, race, & ethnicities.
In a large study of 18,728,893 patients across the US & UK, researches at at the Universities of Leicester and Nottingham found that Black people are twice as likely and those in Asian ethnic groups are 1.5 times more likely to be infected with the novel coronavirus compared to white individuals.
2x & 1.5x as likely.
In regards to our economic development (or lack thereof lately), new evidence suggests that women have really been the ones to suffer financially at the hands of coronavirus & the way its impacted business.
A study by FreshBooks (a business accounting software with more than 24 million users) stated that women-owned businesses across all industries are taking nearly twice as long to recover from the financial setbacks brought on by COVID-19 compared with businesses owned by men.
Research by RBC Economics found the coronavirus pandemic knocked women’s participation in the labour force down from a historic high to its lowest level in more than 30 years.
The disproportionate effect on women has even been described as a “she-cession” by Canada’s Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland…
It’s apparent that amidst the scramble to secure our societies in an aggressive prevention act, we have forgotten about what really matters.
That yes, the lives lost at the hands of COVID-19 matters. Absolutely.
And also, so many other areas of our integrated lives matter, too.
Our mental health matters.
Our physical wellbeing matters.
Equality matters.
So how do we refocus & redistribute our efforts in support of all these matters, too?
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, all powerful change making movements have one thing in common:
They were all initiated, charged, and seen through to success by the power of the people.
So we are proposing to give the power BACK into the hands of the people.
We want to know from them — directly from the source — what really matters.
Then, and only then, can we co-create solutions that actually satiate what the collective desires. Not assuming we know what they need. But creating a safe space to share what we are struggling with.
Of the 63% of Canadians aged 18–34 whom reported they are feeling increased stress or anxiety since COVID-19, 37 per cent of respondents also feared telling their friends about mental health issues, worrying that they would be treated differently.
So it seems that even though mental health struggles have increased, the exposure of those issues has decreased in direct opposition.
That makes for an exponentially terrible equation. A dangerous place to be.
These are the issues that need to be at the forefront of policy & decision maker’s minds right now. It’s equally as preventative as disease control. The after-effects will be severe if left untreated.
We can no longer forget the forgotten.
Let them speak. Let us hear what matters most right now.
Because until we do, we won’t know what to do.
So, what matters most to you right now?
Let us know at www.matrs.co
