The best of tech and tradition can help us through this turbulence
Back in my 20s I lived in Tokyo; it was a precious time in my life. I found Japan to be wonderfully complex, and the dichotomy of technology driven progress and tradition I witnessed, to be profound.
It’s many years since I lived there, but one Japanese tradition which endures for me is 'Hanami' (花見) cherry blossom viewing time which we are now approaching. The spray of pink and white petals of the sakura is beautiful, it’s a time for coming together and celebration across parks as public spaces across Japan. Well, in normal times at least. Of course, these are not normal times.
The blossoms have a deeper meaning, as an expression of the ephemeral quality of life. The delicate falling petals serve as a reminder of our mortality, a signifier of our capacity for renewal. A subtle metaphor for our existence and a reminder to cherish our present.
The unprecedented global crisis which is unfolding around the COVID 19 pandemic, gives us also such pause for reflection (if we can find it, amongst the noise of the 24 hour media); though this crisis is anything but subtle.
So what can we do? Well I do not profess any expertise about the virus, I shall leave that to the those heroic people working in the medical profession right now, but I do believe it’s a time we can use these useful anchors to ground us. To draw on our collective deep rooted communal values, together with our capacity for creativity and progress, to sustain ourselves as as we try to remain present, survive and make sense of uncertain times with as much fortitude as we can muster.
There will be lots of ingenuity which will spring forth through what feels like dark and uncertain times, lots of light shining through the cracks. Whether that’s local restaurants activating delivery networks, amplified by social media channels, or a raft of SaaS tools which enable every aspect of our common new working remote reality. There is some early evidence the changes will double down on to virtual consumption and work behavioural shifts to digital beyond just this period.
“In China, the sheer quantity of people working via the cloud has forced tech companies to upgrade their existing remote working apps or launch new services entirely.” (Wired)
Changes lie ahead across all aspects of our personal and professional lives, for example how we deliver digital first events, how we communicate, and more. We may need to self isolate, but as humans we have a deep rooted need to connect. It is my hope that we can use digital channels in the next decade for more meaningful, creative and empathetic ways than we have used and often misused social media for the past decade.
Perhaps this crisis can be a catalyst for more kindness online.
Naturally I don’t know what that the coming days and weeks look like yet, even the best analysts don’t know the true economic, health or societal fall out will be. Certainly I do not wish to trivialize the existential threat posed by Covid-19 to our global economy and social model, but with that very old, deeply human value which has sustained us through tough times - hope - I believe many new ideas, shared initiatives, and innovations will emerge to sustain our beautifully fragile existence through the tough road ahead.
Somehow, the best of digital and the best of what makes us human will come together better through this.
Thank you,
Sorcha, Founder of Trace
Our position on COVID-19
At Trace the well being of our team, partners and customers are our priority and we working from home where possible; all meetings are now over Video Conference or via phone until further notice.
Our secure SaaS platform is unaffected and is available; in terms of professional services, our focus is on a digital first approach to elearning and consultancy.