THE ECONONIC AND FINANCIAL FALL-OUT OF COVID-19

Be Warned!     By Jimmy James Haynes:

A brilliant piece taken from his Facebook page:

The economic and financial fallout of Covid-19 has been catastrophic for national and household finances. Recently, Covid-19 cases have begun to increase rapidly as we continue to relax our vigilance. While most of us suffer from Pandemic Fatigue, we've got to be disciplined and focus on the medium to long-term future of our economy. There will be serious social and economic repercussions if we do not behave responsibly. This call for behavioral change goes to our leaders as well as every citizen of this country. This is not the time to relax.

Hyperinflation and the rising cost of food are already exacting a heavy toll on household finances. This week, I saw a large can of Exeter corned beef on a shelf for EC$18.00! I had no choice but to refuse it.

We are going through what is typically referred to as a Double Whammy. Covid-19 and its attendant financial woes plus, lifestyle crippling inflation. This isn't the time for you to spend lavishly on frivolous cravings such as fetes, luxuries, Carnival, etc. Very soon, your salary, that is, if you've got one, will be worth only 80% of what it was worth a couple of months ago.

Salaries and wages are stagnant as the cost of living spirals out of reach of the majority of the population. We cannot depend on a government that has already thrown in the towel, to help cushion the debilitating impact of the rising cost of living. Be smart.

You are on your own. Review your spending habits. Reconfigure your household budget. Get rid of the fluff. Start a backyard garden. Grow some vegetables and green seasonings. Use your vehicle sparingly. Walk more often. Eats less meat. Adopt a frugal approach to spending. Focus, as we have not gotten to the bottom of this crisis yet.

You are warned!

 

THE TRUTH MATTERS - ALWAYS KEEP IT REAL!!

I’ve been analysing the different contributions by parliamentarians  during the recently concluded budget debate, and  it occurred to me that a lot of the information I was exposed to is potentially fake.

If not completely fake, it was presented in a way that is biased towards a particular belief or viewpoint in order to appeal to like-minded people to rally viewers, listeners and followers.

It seems to me that there’s an agenda behind this type of information sharing. And it’s not an agenda rooted in truth or honesty, which frankly, is a danger to the peace and unity of our shared island.

I always have to remind myself to question the context when I hear such rhetoric that seems one-sided or untrue or improbable. What else is going on? What happened before or after? What are the credentials of the presenter, and why should I believe him or her?

What concerns me is whether other people are actually questioning the things they see and hear. And how many of us run the risk of just swallowing the information as fact without healthy interrogation to make sure the full story is told?

We are living in a time of great division and intolerance. Power seems more than ever to be generated by people and “winning” by ensuring that others are “losing”. But why can’t everybody win? Life doesn’t have to be a zero sum game, does it?

In today’s tech-driven world we have unprecedented access to issues, images, clips, factoids, opinions, facts, news (real or fake). We can see a picture that somebody wants us to see, negative or positive, but how do we know if we are getting the whole picture?

What is behind the curtain? We can’t tell what is really happening by looking at one photo or viewing a video clip. We are all susceptible and vulnerable to being swayed by dishonest, misleading, or incomplete snippets.

I always want to ask myself questions about the motives of others, but I never want to become jaded, distrustful, angry, frustrated, fearful, or violent.

Pumped up by all the hype, people can start to believe their neighbour is their enemy simply because they disagree on who has the best team or what politician they voted for.

It’s all pretty confusing and sometimes overwhelming, when we are trying to cope with all the differing points of view, without the confidence that all the facts are on the table.

So, what do we do? All I know is what works for me. I do my best not to get sucked in and be influenced by all the noise and fanfare and the hype. I tell myself to stay true to the values I believe in, and more importantly, to the universal values of honesty, trust, authenticity, fairness, reasonableness, acceptance and compassion.

I do my utmost best, not always successfully, not to allow myself to get steered away from positive emotions.

I choose to be generous, joyful, thankful, curious, peaceful and loving.

This is just how I try to “Keep it Real”. I’d love to hear about yours.