Cultures in Crisis – the World After Covid-19

It all seemed so mundane, yet at the same time, deeply unsettling.  Two people in a supermarket aisle, fighting over the remaining pack of toilet roll.  Such a familiar setting – yet the behaviour told us something was terribly wrong. 

Those early days of the Covid-19pandemic, when this video went viral, already feel like a distant memory.  Weeks in lockdown do that to the mind – it stretchesand narrows time.  And now there’s asense we’re emerging, blinking into a familiar yet new light, unsure how tobehave, uncertain what we’ll find.  

As those who lost loved ones or brushedclose with their own death testify, such moments remind us of the fragility andpreciousness of our lives.  Even those ofus who are fortunate – who did not lose friends or family or jobs, who remainedfree of the virus – have a greater sense of appreciation.  We resolve to make more of our lives; focuson what matters; do better.  There’s a risingtide of good intent. 

Yet in the years to come, after Covid-19,we will find a world in the most challenging era since the end of the SecondWorld War.  It will be marked by widespreadunemployment, financial insecurity, social unrest, and cultural crises.  The demonstrations sparked by the tragicdeath of George Floyd have given vent to decades of frustration at the realityblack people are still living with intolerance, inequality, and injustice.  Such societal problems were with us beforeCovid-19 and will be with us for years afterwards.

Beneath this coming pressure, oursocieties risk fracturing even further. The poor will become poorer.  Themiddle-class risk becoming poor.  And therich… will stay rich, fueling existing resentment at wealth disparity.  Our domestic politics risks becoming even moredivided and divisive.  Our streets riskdescending into cycles of upheaval and repression, on which authoritarianleaders act out their controlling ambitions, ostensibly for the good of thepeople, whilst furthering their own cause.  And above it all, the spectre of ourinternational community, which demonstrated a worrying inability to collaboratewhen acutely challenged, will see a resurgence of nation-state rivalry, as thefew restraints that helped to keep global order are dismantled. 

It all sounds hideously dystopian.  Yet it need not be.  In the post Covid-19 world, how we respond tothese pressures – as individuals, societies, and as an international community– will affect how we live for decades to come. And one of the key elements that will drive those responses is our owncultures.  

Differences during the pandemic were clearlyvisible.  Masculine leaders pumped upwith machismo – who either played down the risk and the need to respond orplayed up their own brilliance (or both) – seemed impotent and out oftouch.  Leaders who responded withempathy and calm reassurance – who acknowledged the gravity openly, made clearwhat could and would be done, and reminded us ‘this too would pass’ – restoredsome of our lost faith. 

Our cultures were no less instrumentalon a societal level.  In streets fromMumbai to Manchester, communities stepped up to support the vulnerable; healthcare workers risked their lives and in some cases PTSD from what they saw;police were spat at as they protected those at risk in violent homes.  

Yet our trust and our adherence togovernment directives varied.  Sweden didnot enact a lockdown.  People follow guidancealready, so when asked to socially distance, they could probably be relied on.  France enforced mandatory paperwork for adrive to buy groceries, because when told to conform they are more likely toresist.  And the US, with a saddeningpredictability, divided on cultural party lines, with libertariansdemonstrating against the infringement of their rights, while Sander-istas calledfor caution.    

At the heart of these differences is thedegree to which our cultures are collectivist or individualist –   whether we prioritise society over thecitizen, or the citizen over society.  Ofcourse, this is not binary.  It is ascale, with cultures lying more to one end or other, and others hovering aroundthe middle.  Other important culturalvalues will have a major impact on our future too – how egalitarian, consultative,inclusive, feminine, long-term,restrained, orderly, innovative. These made a difference through the pandemic and they will make adifference again.  

In the years to come, the security and quality of our lives will depend on what we do individually, as communities and as nations.  If we choose leaders who demonstrate compassion, calm competence, and the ability to provide a difficult combination of hope and reassurance; if we can act in the longer-term interests of our collective society; if we can compromise; then we may be able to mitigate the dystopian vision (and avoid fighting over toilet roll). 

Rupert Potter is a former diplomat, who now supports international trade & investment.