Aside from agriculture, the southern Mexico state of Oaxaca relies on tourism for its very existence. Beginning mid-March, 2020, COVID-19 ravaged the state’s economy, as visitors began to depart en masse, and those with reservations for April, May and thereafter, cancelled. Restaurants, bars, mezcalerias, hotels, and virtually all other businesses in the retail and service industries closed their doors, out of fear and caution, and as a consequence of government dictates. We should not necessarily cry for the proprietors of the foregoing establishments, but rather for their employees; Mexico simply does not have the social nets typically found in first world countries which afford workers economic relief. Rather than weep, we must help.

In southern Mexico, Oaxaca in particular, residents typically live day-to-day, without savings for a rainy day, or for retirement for that matter. This holds true even for some in the middle classes. It’s a matter of culture rather than Western common sense. Business owners typically do indeed recognize, at a certain level, that their economic fortunes are contingent upon matters out of their control. Recall the civil unrest of 2006, the Mexican swine flu (H1N1), the US economic crisis, the warring drug cartels, and how the US State Department and journalists have dealt with each issue arising in Mexico, respectively out of paternalism and to shock media followers. Now it’s COVID-19, the coronavirus. This is not to downplay the gravity of the pandemic; on the contrary. But given the broad difference in Oaxacan versus Western worldview, the lack of advance planning for such eventualities is understandable.

Of course, using my Canadian upbringing, at first glance I should suggest that those Oaxacans in the retail and service industries with a modicum of common sense, should recognize that we never know when the next crisis will hit, and so each and every prospective business person must consider this when contemplating an entrepreneurial endeavors from the outset, and plan for hardship eventualities while serving tourists during the good times. They should squirrel away some of their profits. But that is an ethnocentric approach, rather than the preferred cultural relativistic perspective.

Regretfully it’s understandable that many Oaxacan business people do not have sufficient funds in the bank to get them over their own personal humps; for food, shelter, and payment of other required expenses. For their employees the situation is much more compelling!

Tourism will return to its pre-COVID-19 levels, but not until well into 2021 if not later. Of this we are certain. Summertime, Day of the Dead, and Christmas will not be the same. Easter and Spring Break have already been lost. Some who would otherwise visit in the future will shun Oaxaca out of fear, while others will not have the savings for a vacation until the following year, or year after.

Much of providing assistance falls on the shoulders of expat residents, typical tourists, snowbirds and part-timers. I don’t think we can necessarily rely on the good graces of the Oaxacan entrepreneurs, to not much fault of their own. But we can do our part, even if it means shaming some of those amongst us, non-Mexicans that is, into doing the right thing.

Ask the establishments you typically frequent what you can do to help, now! Phone or email. It doesn’t matter that local business owners perhaps know or ought to know that the coronavirus pandemic is nothing that should have come as a great surprise… to the extent that we all recognize that business fortunes in Oaxaca are like peaks and valleys, or climatic patterns the destructive forces of which we know exist, but never precisely when the next will befall us.

For your first or next visit to Oaxaca, if you must bargain in the markets, do so with much less vigor, but better yet not at all. Be much more generous to your chambermaid, grocery bagger, waiter and barman; and perhaps even think about that young salesperson in the craft store. You’ll be helping Oaxacans, and feel better about yourself.

Coronavirus is a deadly virus that has shaken the pillars of the world and is still very much active throughout. It has already spread steadily in countries like the United States of America, Spain, France, Italy, and many more. Now it has started to affect India, the country with the second largest population in the world. It was feared that if the effect of Coronavirus is similar to that of the other countries, then 20% of India’s total population will lose their lives. India’s total population is 1.3 billion, and 40% of 1.3 billion is about 25 million, so considering 55 million people dead due to a virus is horrific. It could have destroyed the entire country.

Fortunately, the effect of Coronavirus has not been that deadly in India. Until the present day, only 96000 people have been affected by the disease, and the death toll is 3029. Another positive point to note is that the recovery rate in India is higher; among the 96000 affected people, 36824 people have already recovered and have been sent home.

Researchers have revealed that the type of virus that has affected India is comparatively weaker than the virus that has affected the other countries. The kind of Coronavirus that has affected India is B type, which is a weaker version and less deadly compared to the A and C type viruses. But the researchers and medical experts have revealed that this B type virus has every opportunity of mutating and transforming into the A or C type virus, which definitely can be devastating for the country. Another study has revealed that the weather conditions in India play a massive role in restricting the spread of this deadly Coronavirus. It is known that Coronavirus needs cold weather to survive for a more extended period, but in significant parts of India, the climate is warm and hot. Hence it restricts the rapid growth of the deadly virus. It has been noticed that after the declaration of lockdown in India, the cases recorded were increasing every day.

Currently, India is going through the fourth round of lockdown, and yet the cases recorded each day are increasing. This is of much concern, and there was news that previously, the number of tests conducted each day was very low. Hence the positive cases were recorded were less. Now, in the past three weeks, the number of tests each day has increased, which is why the number of cases recorded each day is more. Hence, we can say that more tests reveal more cases; tests are the only way the country can understand its actual position in this pandemic situation.

Between the lockdowns, for two to three days, liquor shops were opened, and a huge number of people went to all these shops. This could be a reason for the increase in cases, as the virus can spread by many folds. This is a tough situation for the country, and it is becoming tough to tackle this deadly virus. On 17th May, a few hours after the fourth round of lockdown was declared, it was found that there was a spike of 5567 cases in 24 hours, which is the highest recorded spike until now.

Consider this: now is not the time for dinner parties of any kind. Instead, people are staying home, enjoying meals with their own nuclear families and looking forward to the recovery period on the other side of the COVID-19 pandemic, in which the world finds itself presently engulfed. As billions of people around the world face shelter in place orders mandated because of what this writer calls The COVID-19 Effect, family oriented dinners – and breakfasts and lunches – are increasing. This is a positive effect of a bad set of circumstances, as we shall discuss later. My mother used to say, “When you’ve been given lemons to live with, make lemonade!” This axiom can be utilized literally and figuratively in this respect thanks to circumstances that necessitate home meal preparation.

I wrote a book some time ago titled Kids in the Kitchen, which extolls the virtue of families finding common ground in the kitchen, of all places, to help cement the bonds of “unity within and among family units,” Saying invite as many people over as possible and we can always welcome the stranger into our home are vestiges, it seems, of a bygone era, and let’s face it, that’s just not something that we can do right now. But I suggest that my squabble holds true for those of us who are stuck at home and want to keep the home fires burning and the family unit intact. Whatever happened to the good ol’ days? You know, the days of having home cooked meals with loved ones and good conversation. The fast paced world of today has almost made cooking as a family event a relic of the past. You may be asking: Who has time to cook when everyone is worried about what will happen next in the pandemic crisis? This writer says, “Take it to the kitchen!” The silver lining in the cloud just may reveal the following 6 benefits, which may yield to you, the reader, a change of heart.

Brings the Classroom Home

Learning is something that should be promoted at all times even when not in school. Cooking as a family is perhaps one of the easiest (and tastiest) ways to do this. Turn every cake or pie into a math problem with a delicious prize by working on division and fractions. All subjects can be taught in the kitchen. Improving English or learning foreign languages can be taught through common phrases and ingredients. Social studies is a practical subject that is very easy and fun to integrate: have a cultural dinner once per week to teach about different countries, ethnic groups or traditions (Also the premise of my previously released book Kids in the Kitchen; Amazon.com.)

Promotes Healthy Living

In a country plagued by obesity, parents must remain on the frontline of caring for their children’s health. Also, promoting healthy eating for children can be just the jumpstart parents need to eat healthier themselves. Preparing food at home takes longer than fast food and microwave options, and this lack of instant gratification curbs junk food eating. When a family cooks together, a support system is automatically put in place for those who have trouble with snacking and poor food choices. An added benefit of family cooking is that children with food allergies can be catered to and the child can gain back some control over their situation.

Carry on Tradition

Passing things on from one generation to the next has become something of the past. Families that cook together can carry on old recipes and promote family pride while building better relationships with grandparents or extended family. Don’t have any family recipes? No worries! You can create new ones with children. Having something to pass on builds a sense of pride and anticipation for a productive future. A tradition of telling stories that surround those recipes is great to pass on as well.

Self-Building

Sometimes young people just need an opportunity to see how great they really are. Cooking as a family can help to build up a person from the inside out. Children can gain self-confidence and pride when achieving cooking goals, such as meeting deadlines and receiving praise for new recipes. Creativity, working well with others and organization are also skills that can be gained through family cooking.

Builds Bridges

Family cooking is one of the best ways to build relationships. Conversing with children, teenagers especially, can be difficult. Performing activities in a casual environment such as the kitchen while conversing can help to lessen the awkwardness and stress caused by some conversations. Everyone loves and needs to eat, so the neutral territory can ease any tensions. Also, parents may be able to more quickly notice when things are wrong. It can prove difficult to notice when something is wrong with a child who is allowed to spend dinner and all their free time in a private space. When family cooking is established, out in the open interactions are normal and red flags will be raised faster when that suddenly stops. Hint to children: always put dad’s TV remote control device back in the same place where you found it!

Healthier Marriage/Relationships

Yes, really. A marriage, especially one with vestiges of a blended family, has so many factors and sometimes complex issues that, to some degree, an activity as simple as family cooking may not seem like a solution. However, it makes perfect sense when you think about it. Family cooking saves money, time and sanity. The money saved can be spent on tuition, an extra car or home repairs that were causing tensions. Spent over a period of time, money saved can be used on bonding with a spouse instead of cleaning dishes all by yourself. The more sanity you have will help to de-stress your life, and who doesn’t need less stress specific to the issues presented by The COVID-19 Effect? No one knows for sure what will happen with the apex of the coronavirus, but this writer is confident that making family meals as a unit, including children, whenever possible, is important because you are attending to the needs of others, even if the kids you are helping are starting to seem very irritating because you’ve been putting up with them for the last six weeks. If it makes you feel any better; just know that this writer’s family is not the exception that proves the rule! By the way son; where is my remote control?

My condolence to those who lose their love once, also with them who lost their jobs in this pandemic situation, today I feel I am living in a country where all are one hand weather to help each other or together to fight against all the disasters situation.

We are UNITED

We were United and

We will be

Global economic crises affected the under developing and 3rd world country, their foreign employees are losing their jobs, families and lives are affected but nobody care, think about them, supports or empathized with them it seems we all living life of animals like in jungle where nobody knows each other, powerful trying to eat helpless if fortunately you survived you have to swim all alone just to be alive

so many citizens of my country (Pakistan) lost jobs, and now waited for governmental support to bring them back, all of them are loyal citizens, many choose to work for their own country besides having good monetary compensation advantage and other picked as well but they choose to serve their own country but what they got hunger, poverty corruption to get job in their own country and those who left for their future after earning some of them compare their abroad earning with native country, let’s not discuss, no matter the purpose behind their leaving. The prime minister of Pakistan to come back and serve their own country and he is still trying to help them and it’s a good gesture.

Corona battle against mankind spread its dark clouds, change a day into night, we look towards almighty ALLAH. We see rising of sun and we get back into our life with this hope that the setting sun bring up a good news of ending corona

WHO (World Health Organization) and so many Health Organization at International, National, Provincial District and area level take the responsibility to educate people so that they maintain social distancing, hand washing and avoiding unnecessary travel, work and routine activities.

one after one another country affected with corona, lock down and even curfew become the solution to control the disease because nobody has medical solution for this, till today its affected China, Spain, United Kingdom, Italy and currently on peak at United States with highest death tolls, poor countries such as South Asian regions and African countries, their peoples don’t have even basics necessaries of living, no proper water supply, food supply and health facilities available

I live in Karachi Pakistan, where we have huge population in Karachi, no proper water supply, people’s basic income is very low even they cannot afford the lock down. WHO hand washing guideline cannot work, because they don’t have water to drink, how it’s possible to social distance, in a single room where 7-10 family members are living in a single room how can we make a distance of 1-3 meter, peoples are living in temporary shelters for social distancing

The reason is not Pakistan, the reason is rest of the rich countries their lobbies and political science and so called policies; make poor counties more unstable and poorer moreover make them living below the line of poverty and we all know who are responsible for that.

May ALLAH forgive all the sins of the mankind, protect sick and aged population that are vulnerable. In this battle young doctors, nurses, hospital staff, social volunteers, housekeeping staff, rescue teams, ambulance staff, and so many which might not in my words, off course in my memory but in my prayers lost their lives or their love ones, they can’t stay home, they were in the field to defeat corona.

Mankind always remember this 3rd world war which killed so many but our Nurses, Doctors and Paramedical take charge to stop it. We salute them and I wish medical solution get successful cure so by the grace of Almighty ALLAH all other remaining are cure

We Proud of You health team Stay Safe, Stay Bless.

The headlines in our local newspaper stated the grim facts:

“Death toll reaches 2 million.”

The article then began with these disturbing words: “The global death toll from COVID-19 topped 2 million Friday, crossing the threshold amid a vaccine rollout so immense but so uneven that in some countries there is real hope of vanquishing the outbreak, while in other, less-developed parts of the world, it seems a far-off dream.”

How do you react to news like that?

Do you ever think about death? It’s been in the news for the past year in a way I’ve never seen in my lifetime. We hear about it constantly. The media keeps telling us, every day, how many people died the day before.

It’s also one of the main themes of the Bible. “People are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment” (Hebrews 9:27).

Jesus talked about death repeatedly. “I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am he, you will indeed die in your sins” (John 8:24).

The purpose of this article is to ask you a simple question: Are you afraid to die?

Fear of death is a common experience. It’s part of the human condition. But thanks be to God, Jesus came to save us from both death itself and the fear of death.

“Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death-that is, the devil- and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death” (Hebrews 2:14-15).

According to Scripture, many people are slaves to the fear of death. Wow. That’s quite a statement. And the events of the past year bear witness to that reality, don’t they?

How about you? Are you afraid to die? I pose that question because I care about you and your eternal destiny.

The amazing truth of the verses quoted above is how Jesus liberates us from the fear of death. Did you notice the key phrase? “By his death.” It is through His own death that Jesus sets us free from our fear of death. Because He died, we can live forever. And the hope of eternal life in Christ provides the life-changing security we need to face death without fear. Amen?

In closing, here is Resolution #9 from Jonathan’s Edwards famous list of 70 resolutions: “Resolved, to think much on all occasions of my own dying, and of the common circumstances which attend death.” Thinking much about death motivates me to think much about living each day as if it will be my last. It just may be.

Oaxaca de Juárez, a quaint colonial city in south central Mexico which relies on tourism for its very existence, relaxed its COVID-19 protocols near the beginning of July, 2020. And as we have moved into summertime, so have other cities throughout the world which are similarly dependent upon visitors. Restaurants have begun to open. Should they do so, just because of a change in municipal rules and regulations, especially as numbers of confirmed cases of COVID-19 continue to rise?

While Mexico is thankfully far behind the US in terms of a litigation-happy public, nevertheless attitudes towards liability are changing, even in Oaxaca. Two questions come to mind:

1. It is going to make an appreciable difference to your bottom line with your eatery open, assuming tourists are not yet ready to visit Oaxaca and patronize your restaurant?
2. Are you prepared to follow sound advice, perhaps more stringent than your city dictates, so as to avoid the prospect of a patron or staff member becoming ill; and if not, are you willing to assume the risk of what may lie in store for you as a consequence?

Tourists will not return to Oaxaca in appreciable numbers for several months. If your restaurant relies on tourism to bump its numbers into the black, it won’t happen just because you open your doors now. Are you not better off staying closed and continuing to offer take-out and delivery only? Consider advice from a former litigator, someone who has witnessed how some restaurants in another Mexican city in July, have been dealing with COVID-19:

1. Half of your tables cannot be used.
2. Before entering, patrons should step on a special mat, have their temperatures taken, be given antibacterial gel for their hands, be given a face covering, present photo ID, and complete and sign a form answering several questions relative to their health over the past two weeks.
3. In the restaurant staff must wear a face covering and plastic shield, and cutlery, whether plastic or stainless, must be sealed in plastic.
4. Menus should be available online for accessing by smartphone only, or alternatively disposable paper menus can be used.

Other protocols will likely be considered, as advised by your lawyer experienced in liability litigation.

The objectives are to ensure that neither patrons nor staff are exposed to COVID-19, and if someone takes ill with the virus, the restaurant and its owner(s) reduce the likelihood of liability.

If someone, a patron for example, does become ill, who will she blame? Word will spread far and wide, quickly. Not only might your restaurant be closed and quarantined for a period of time, but when tourism does return, visitors could conceivably be loathe to patronize your establishment.

You’re not going to make a profit without tourism, so your motivation for opening might be to support residents of Oaxaca who yearn for your exquisite, reasonably priced cuisine. They can still use take-out or delivery, and this reduces the likelihood of them becoming ill, or at least of them blaming your lax protocols if they do. You also might be considering support for your staff. What about their health?

It is suggested that it is just not worth it for restaurants to open until Oaxaca announces a green light, and even then, you’re advised to follow some of the protocols noted above. Better safe than sorry. Wait a little longer, especially if yours is an indoor restaurant. And while pondering, consider that restaurants are the only trafficked establishments where in order to do what you’re there for, you have to remove your face mask, a protector for others.

For believers in a ‘Higher Power’ of whatever hue, there must be times when one wonders if that heavenly body ever loses patience with what goes on below.

Just imagine that said entity, after creating a magical gift like the planet Earth, balking at the mere sight of the inflicted destruction created by the modern-day human rulers.

So picture if you will, the Earth designed to be the epitome of perfection, with deep blue oceans, filled with cleansing marine life, corals and fauna.

The lush green pastures and forests, a veritable playground for animals of every kind to frolic and multiply in.

And a sky, lovingly painted in an infinite pastel of blue. The Sun, positioned to cascade the world with daytime light. Its health giving rays a source of energy, vitamins and radiation to promotion the essential growth to Earths plant life.

Then to offer a twist of gaiety, brightly coloured birds added to soar free upon the thermals singing and chirping their own sweet song.

Insects of all shapes and sizes, also taking their pleasure by cleaning and preening the land, whilst employed by ‘Mother Nature’ as her little postmen of pollen to fertilize the eagerly awaiting flowers.

Finally, to the world came man and woman in human form. By purpose they were first made humble, introduced as merely another species on this vast orb of paradise.

But human’s had not been created as equals, far from it. They were enhanced in their powers, by featuring highly dexterous hands and a powerful brain, capable of ever wider thought and development. The human, by design, was destined to evolve, blossom, and ultimately achieve mastery over the planet.

Indeed blossom they did over countless centuries. Through trial and error and with the use of ingenuity, human’s conquered the arts of cultivation, husbandry and propagation. This set them apart from other species, now they could not only create food, but store it for when needed.

Thus humans could concentrate their powerful minds on an ever wider scale. Yet over time the human thrust for world improvement began to lose its way. Progress became twisted into the pursuit of false gods called money and power.

The simple basics of life as initially created for beauty, necessity or utility, were becoming abused in the pursuit of profit. The true purpose of evolution becoming corrupted by neglect, or as mere collateral damage of mans short-term objectives.

So by now, the believers in the ‘Heavenly Body’, should not be criticized for wondering if some of the worlds disasters of nature, weren’t in some form an early warning of displeasure as cast down from on high?

The words: “Don’t push your luck too far humans!” Coming to mind.

But such actions in the past were predominantly a regional issue, whereas now the life threatening pollution and abuse circumvents the world. Those original blue oceans are now awash with detritus. The lush green pastures and forests, plundered for minerals, or stripped bare to return ever greater profits for ‘The Man’.

Originally human leaders were men of vision who nurtured the land whilst thanking it for its blessings. Such men of wisdom have now sadly gone, and in their place sit closed-minded men of money, thirsty for power and addicted to wealth.

Some notably worthless caretakers, through lack of intellect, or simply devoid of interest, actually lay sermons to the beauty of power and wealth. With heads held high and puffed out chests, they espouse how the ultimate value of the world is calculated in the monetary depiction of a long line of zero’s on a computer screen.

So with all things considered, who would blame the ‘Higher Power’ looking down on such worthless views to take some action? How can such men of power, deaf, dumb and blind to reason, be made to see that they are dragging the world down the wrong path?

Subtle warnings of the past have come and gone without effect, Mother Nature has displayed her power in many forms of recent years, but no change of direction appears forthcoming.

Has the time eventually come when a ‘Final Warning’ from on high is due?

I for one can almost hear the words from the heavens…

“Send in the Covid-19!”

The next wave of motivated sellers is coming!!! Well, that is what I keep hearing anyway. We have been talking about this and other COVID related advice on our YouTube channel. If you have not checked it out, please do. One short video a week helping real estate investors, like you, make more money. While you are there, do me a favor and view our videos on YouTube hit subscribe. The more subscribers we have the more people will see our videos and the more people we can help.

I get asked on a regular basis what the next opportunities will be for real estate investors. Especially during these trying times. Last month I opened up and discussed my opinion on what to keep an eye on. I mentioned that I do not believe that subject to or lease option transactions will be the low hanging fruit. At least not in the short term. Not sure what a subject to or lease option is? Check out this post.

Other super smart real estate investors disagree with me. Their argument is that when there are distressed sellers, there is more motivation and sellers will be more open to your creative offers. Although I don’t disagree, I believe that most of these sellers will have other options. Subject to and lease options are most frequently used when there is an extremely motivated seller, the one that must sell, but they don’t have the ability. It could be a looming foreclosure, but most often it is when they do not have the equity to price the property correctly and pay all the closing fees and commissions. If they are not able to make payments, the interest and late fees continue to accrue, putting them farther and farther from a successful closing. Both a subject to and a lease options are pretty safe for the buyer, but they are risky transactions for a seller. With these transactions, the seller remains on the underlying loan. They are still liable, but they are relying on someone else to make the payments. These transactions are perfect to solve the seller’s problem when they have no other option.

There are two reasons I think it will be a while before we see any real traction with these buying strategies.

As mentioned, these creative buying strategies work well with motivated sellers that do not have the equity to sell the more traditional way. In most markets, the appreciation rate has been through the roof in recent years. Anyone that has owned a house for a while will likely have equity with appreciation alone. Add that to the fact that the 2008 credit crises virtually eliminated low and no money down loans. Unless the buyer used VA or FHA, there is a high chance that they have 10% or more as a down payment. They have equity from the day they purchased the house. The interesting thing about VA loans is that they have a low default rate. VA borrowers do not typically run into trouble because the debt to income ratio to qualify for these loans is low, meaning the borrower has more than enough income to support the debt. You also do not see a ton of VA loans unless you are in a military town. So, this leaves us with FHA loans which represent less than 15% of the total loans out there. FHA loans can be risky because of the loose guidelines and the 3.5% down payment requirement.

We have talked in the past about the risk with forbearance agreements and how those could be causing some pint up supply. When those start to expire, we could see a wave of loan defaults. Although that is true, according to Black Knight, only 9% of the loans in forbearance have less than 10% in equity. Even the most troubled loans, the ones that could spark a crash, have equity and should be able to sell with a Realtor if needed. The one interesting argument is the recent refinance frenzy. With rates at record lows, people have been tapping into their equity. Although this is the case, the LTV guidelines for a cash out refinance is still low, so even those borrowers retained equity in their homes.

The other reason I do not think we will see a wave of subject to or lease option opportunities is interest rates. These strategies work great in a high rate environment. If the real estate investor can take over another loan with a low rate, they can pay more for the property. In a low rate environment, like we are in now, investors can lock in rates with new loans similar to, or better than, taking over a seller’s loan. There is little incentive to pay more for a property. The Fed has already committed to keeping rates low through 2021.

With all this said, I do not want to discourage you for keeping your eye out for these buying strategies. As many of you know, I have done over a hundred of these and is how I got started as a real estate investor. I really do love these strategies. They both work well in any market and there will always be sellers that this type of offer is perfect for. I only wanted to share why I believe that investors that expect this to be the next big opportunity might be in for a long wait.

“Cursed is the ground for your sake” (Genesis, 3:17 – NKJV)

Nowadays, coronavirus is another proof – between a thousand other proofs – of modern man’s inability to cope with himself and his environment. The truth is that we cannot dwell at ease in a world that, most of the time, seems not unlike a pit of snakes. While there are many pieces to COVID-19 puzzle, and I certainly cannot address them all, I would like to share with you some ideas about the current pandemic, and relate it to some more philosophical argument.

Early in December of 2019 the outbreak of the virus began. But only on March 11 of 2020 the World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 a pandemic, after the disease led to thousands of cases. Back then, according to the WHO the risk to the people who were not living in China was very low. Nothing could be further from the truth. Apparently, organizations have their own ways, and it seems necessary thousands of deaths to get a dinosaur-like bureaucracy structure on the right track. This is a large family of viruses that are collectively known as the coronavirus. How come that the so-called experts couldn’t have seen this coming? This fault claimed the life of so many! Indeed, they’re experts in excusing themselves, their organizations, their industry or their political agenda for their failure to foresee the problem.

Now, let’s remember that animal, insect to human disease transmissions are not all that uncommon. A pneumonia of unknown causes was detected in people around an animal market. Have you ever heard of that? That’s not completely alien to us. If you are a great scientist your mind automatically makes predictions about the future of your field, even when you aren’t aware of it. Of course, beyond that, what you learn in one area can often be applied to others. Not long ago, researchers in the field of artificial intelligence were optimistic that machines with high capabilities would exist in a few decades. What I want to know is this: where are those damn machines now? Where’s a good HAL 9000 to help those guys to foresee the catastrophe and to calculate the viral genetic variation before the thing could turn to something else?

The gradual replacement of men and women by machines to execute the functions of life is a characteristic of our time. But there is one area where no machine, no matter how complex, can act for its maker. This is the area of empathetic comprehension. Now and forever, only human being will favor compassion.

I think anyone will agree with me that it is not easy to make sense of life because of chaos and arbitrariness we live in. We become increasingly dissatisfied with the narrowness of mind of politicians and bureaucrats around us. In spite of everything, we must draw our attention to the storehouse of human resources within ourselves. The search for meaning raises questions, for example: where do I fit into the whole of life? Shadow effect or not, we must fight this thing with all our strength. The weight of History is over our heads again. Sure enough, there are lots of lessons that we must learn in the midst of the storm. Let’s not waste our time with vulgar vanities and selfishness.

Even during the thick of the pandemic, we saw businesses struggling to change operations enough to stay afloat. Now, the name of the game is “adapt,” and we are all players trying to find out where we fit into the larger picture. Even if it means stepping out of our comfort zone, we are forced to move past the traditions we built and forward into the digital age.

Contact-Less Service

Before COVID-19, some businesses didn’t even have a social media page. These businesses relied on loyal customers, word of mouth, and in-store marketing endeavors. You know the shops I’m talking about, mom and pop shops who use printed flyers, bulletin boards and give the 100th customer of the day a prize.

For some, this type of business model set them apart from the mainstream shops and made them popular. For others, it was a general lack of enthusiasm for technology (or the inability to pay for pricey digital marketing campaigns). Then, with a snap of the fingers – it was gone. Nobody could come through the doors, and like that, the entire structure of the business folded.

You couldn’t rely on word of mouth, flyers, or bulletin boards. A rise in online shopping for a contactless experience became the thing to do. What did this mean for those who didn’t even have social media?

Dive Head-First Into Digital

Pride has to be replaced by necessity in terms of entering the digital world with your business. You have to be mindful of social media, you have to have a website, and you can’t rely on physical customers to do your bidding. Forget about getting used to the water. Jump in and hope you to swim and stay afloat.

If you want your business to survive now and in the future with the pandemic at large, you can’t wait for things to go back to normal. You have to move forward and adapt to the changes, and they need to be made now.

Transitioning to Digital Marketing

Everything seems to be done on a smartphone or computer device, including making purchases for everyday needs. To expand your clientele and remain in full operational order, the use of digital marketing is more than a requirement. It is the only lifeline that most businesses have. Business owners cannot expect to survive during COVID-19 if they don’t transition to a digital marketing strategy. Make sure your business has an adequate, modern website that is mobile-friendly and user-friendly. Customers should be able to easily contact you or buy through your website on all devices so that you do not miss out on any potential sales.

Business practices and catering to the customer have not changed in your marketing structure, only the method in which it is delivered. Customers need to feel safe during their purchases, and they feel better doing things online. Businesses will not survive this new age if they do not turn to the digital marketing platforms required to reach these customers.