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Remove bananas from plastic produce bag and store at room temperature. Bananas are a delicious choice for snacking, baking and cooking, Plus they include Vitamin B6 Potassium, Fiber, and Vitamin C - nutrients that help promote heart health. In September 1974, Hurricane Fifi devastated some 60% of Honduras' agricultural production, and many of the plantations had to be abandoned, seriously affecting the economy. In the early 1900s, research began with an aim of developing disease resistant bananas, which led to the development of the âCavendishâ banana variety which is most popularly sold in grocery stores today. Ecuador is the second largest producer of bananas for the US, and a top exporter taking its fair share of the global market. According to the company's website, Dole imports organic bananas from Colombia, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, and Peru. Good Source of Fiber 11%, which helps support heart health. The banana fruit is originated from Southeast Asia. However, the country only had a small share of $3.71 million in the European Union in the year 2014. As noted earlier, these MNCs have participated in cartels, have used their enormous political influence, and have chronically abused the rights of their workers. To receive the latest news on nutrition, fitness, wellness and diet along with recipes and product info direct to your inbox, sign up for our FREE award winning newsletter, Dole Nutrition News. Some, in fact, are large and take up much of the fruit, making the flesh hard to eat. In 2014, Peru exported over 61 million pounds of bananas to the US. These documentaries expose how the non-organic bananas are grown with super toxic chemicals that cause infertility and the lawsuits that followed against Dole, Dow, and the filmmaker, as a result. These countries upon which the United States relies are outlined below. Initially, bananas tasted better, lasted longer, were more resilient and didnât need any artificial ripening. Banana cultivation provides lots of rural labor due to its labor intensive nature. However, most critics say that the high production has been accomplished via an unjust exploitation of the non-unionized workers in the country. The country accounted for 25% of the worldâs banana foreign market earnings in 2009. Good Source of Fiber 11%, which helps support heart health. Bananas are also a favorite treat of the local wildlife, such as the capuchin monkey pictured. b) A fair-trade Max Havelaar banana. DOLE Bananas should be stored at room temperature for best quality. Cabbage Rolls / Polish Gołąbki - Easy to Follow, Step by Step Recipe - Duration: 12:57. Nicaragua exports a larger portion of its bananas to the US and last year it exported bananas totalling over 87 million pounds. One factor that is facilitating the spread of the insects is climatic change in the region. Sources show that workers for the banana companies there may earn as little as $3 per day without any added benefits. 3:46. Most of the production takes place on the northern coast, and is primarily controlled by two American fruit conglomerates: Dole and Chiquita. Featuring a yellow to orange color, … DoleTube 107,513 views. Pisang Raja bananas are popular in Indonesia. To slow ripening, refrigerate (peel will turn black but the fruit inside will be fresh and ripe). A Deeper Look into the Multinationals: Dole, Chiquita, Del Monte. To find out where bananas grow, just take a look at one of our many Dole farms. Baby bananas are a miniature variety measuring only three to four inches -- considerably smaller than the more common Cavendish bananas sold in American stores. In the year 2009, this country secured over $6.66 billion USD worth of banana sales in the global market as a whole. If there is still not enough yellow appearing on the peel, place a ripe apple in the bag with the bananas. In fact, they outsell oranges and apples combined. There are over 1000 different banana varieties. National Eat More Fruits and Vegetables Day. It is practiced both by large scale and small scale farmers, who employ it either in mixed cultivation or via monoculture (strictly banana stands). Today, Banana is said to be the most popular fruit in the world. The company traces its origin to the 1851 establishment of Castle & Cooke by missionaries Samuel Northrup Castle and Amos Starr Cooke. Well, it turns out the bananas do have seeds (of a sort) but they aren't used for reproduction. These bananas are nasty, soft to the touch and smell of mold. About 100 billion bananas are being eaten every year. The income of these workers is generally low and, in some cases, the wages arenât enough to support their families. Billions of bananas arrive through the piers and terminals on the Delaware headed to grocers, wholesalers, and produce markets across the country. The productivity in this country now stands at 4,000 boxes per every hectare, and its exports have increased by 25% in recent times to stand at $623.4 million USD in value today. The reason behind this is that in 1890, a bad disease affected the banana-growing regions of the Caribbean and Latin America, and disrupted almost every major banana farm in that time. To speed ripening: Place bananas in a loosely closed brown paper bag with an apple. The most successful plantations are in Central America because this area contains the … Bananas are mostly grown on very large plantations where many workers live on-site. Banana labelling. If bananas are too green, place them in a brown paper bag, in a warm dry area (but not in direct sunlight) for a day or two to encourage ripening. Dole produc… But since this country experienced the Panama disease, a fungal disease, the production of bananas in Panama have been greatly reduced. All maps, graphics, flags, photos and original descriptions © 2020 worldatlas.com. Chiquita is the second largest organic banana exporter selling … Bananas turn from green to yellow as they ripen. Banana production supports the Honduran economy to a high degree despite many natural problems like hurricanes, which have highly diminished fruit production there. If using bananas in salads, to prevent pieces from browning, toss them in pineapple juice before adding. Select full-yellow bananas for salads or immediate eating. In this country banana production is widespread. Check daily until ripe. This means they arrive at your store fresh, firm and delicious. So if you're gonna post something like, say, a Jamaican jerk chicken recipe, you better come correct. Agriculture in this country produces 60% of all its jobs and half of its merchandise exports earnings. In 1964, Castle & Cooke bought out the Standard Fruit Company, and concentrated on the production of bananas and pineapples under the Dole label in Honduras. Bananas have been among the country’s largest exports for a long time and, in 2014, the country exported over 1.1 billion pounds of bananas to the US alone. Check out the Bananas* movie, which is banned in the U.S. and the Big Boys Gone Bananas* for more info. Keep the bag in a warm, dry place. Dole grows and sources from independent growers and transports bananas grown primarily in Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala and Honduras for markets principally in North America, Europe, the Mediterranean and selected Asian markets. However, the industry did not experience a boom until 1948, when the government of President Galo Plaza began issuing agricultural credits, tariffs, building ports and a highway on the coast, and making efforts towards pest control.. At its peak in the mid-1950s, Ecuador was the largest banana producer in the world. But one problem facing the production of bananas in this country, and which may continue to lower output, is the presence of âmealybugsâ and âscale insectsâ. A little better, the unionized workers there earn $10 per day with some added benefits. With bananas being among the fruits most commonly consumed in the world, a fruit that in many of these countries has few limits on its growing season, governments from the producing countries have strived to find measures to further boost production and enhance their economies. I expected much better from Amazon I have ordered bananas many times before and they have come perfectly yellow firm and ripe. Bananas grow in warm, tropical climates, such as South America, Africa, India and the Caribbean. While the two insects hardly affect bananas to a point where they are inedible, they cause unappetizing blemishes which most exporting firms will not accept. The workers have to toil for long hours in tropical conditions to care for the plants and their harvest. Chiquita Brands International Sàrl (/ tʃ ɪ ˈ k iː t ə /), formerly known as Chiquita Brands International Inc., is an American producer and distributor of bananas and other produce.The company operates under a number of subsidiary brand names, including the flagship Chiquita brand and Fresh Express salads. Bananas can be frozen once the banana is peeled and stored in a freezer bag until ready to use (use a bit of fresh lemon juice to reduce browning). I bought DOLE bananas that came from Honduras 0034 4011,,,I don't know WHAT you are doing to these bananas, but they have ZERO FLAVOR! To slow ripening: Place bananas in your refrigerator. In North America, bananas have been sold since the 1800s, although the bananas that were sold originally differ from the ones sold today. The other half of Dole's corporate heritage, the Hawaiian Pineapple Company, was founded in 1901 by James Dole, who opened his first pineapple plantation in the central plateau of the Hawaiian island of Oahu. Some varieties of bananas are native to certain areas of the world, for example, plantains are native to India. The US imported bananas totalling nearly 3.4 billion pounds from Guatemala in 2014. The two insects are related to aphids and, just like aphids, they feed on banana sap to the point of weakening the plants, which then causes banana leaves to drop. Chiquita is the leading distributor of bananas in the United States. They include commercially important cultivars like 'Dwarf Cavendish' (1888) and 'Grand Nain' (the "Chiquita banana"). *Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. c) A certified Rainforest Alliance banana. The most well-known variety in New Zealand is Cavendish. Pisang Raja. Bananas grow in tropical areas all around the world where the weather is sunny and hot. They are harvested throughout the year on the Dole plantations. The pineapple juice acts as an ascorbic acid color keeper. Bananas are one of the most commonly enjoyed fruits in the United States. Dole bananas originally come from equatorial regions, including Costa Rica, Ecuador, Columbia and Peru. How Many Mexican Immigrants Come To America Every Year? The Worldâs Largest Oil Reserves By Country, Top Cotton Producing Countries In The World. Bananas for North America are imported from Central and South America. Once harvested and selected for their quality, bananas leave the farm, are loaded onto vessels and cross the ocean. This includes better means of preventing diseases affecting the crops, such as âPanama Diseaseâ, and ensuring proper care for the workers on the many banana plantations. The insects also produce a sticky substance known as âhoneydewâ which promotes the growth of mold on the fruit. This was seen as an area to gain ground in global trade, as bananas are an important part of the American diet, and the US is known to be among the worldâs biggest importers of bananas. Bananas have become such a common, inexpensive grocery item that we often forget where they come from and how they got here. If you went out into the wild and opened a banana fruit, you would probably find seeds. www.riverford.co.uk James from Riverford shows you how our organic bananas are grown in the Dominican Republic. We produce bananas on company-controlled farms in Costa Rica, Guatemala and the Philippines and we purchase bananas from independent growers in Costa Rica, Guatemala, Ecuador, Colombia, Mexico, the Philippines and Cameroon. Fresh pineapples destined for the North American and Western European markets are grown by Dole Latin America on Dole-owned plantations in Costa Rica, Ecuador and Honduras and sourced from independent producers, primarily in Costa Rica. Banana Seeds . Dole Bananas, 2 lb Bag Benefits. AKA, don't do what Dole Sunshine just did to Jamaica's iconic dish. Most of the production takes place on the northern coast, and is primarily controlled by two American fruit conglomerates: Dole and Chiquita. One major goal of the US government in the late 19th and early 20th Century was for the country to grow its bananas on a large scale for domestic consumption as well as export. Three main companies—Dole, Chiquita, and Del Monte—dominate the banana industry in Latin America. Excellent source of B6 25%, which supports energy metabolism. Bananas and plantains are similar, yet have a few key differences in flavor and usage. The US's most important banana supplier, this country is the third largest banana exporting country globally, trailing Costa Rica and Columbia. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs. If bananas are too green, place them in a brown paper bag, in a warm dry area (but not in direct sunlight) for a day or two to encourage ripening. The sector provides jobs for 6,000 farmers and employs 700 people at boxing plants. Most American bananas are produced in the tropics and are shipped for long distances before reaching the countryâs markets. Castle & Cooke rapidly became one of the largest companies in Hawaii, investing in shipping, railroad construction, sugar production and seafood packing. Still, it sold over 489 million pounds of bananas to the United States. - Duration: 3:46. Rebecca Cohen, Global Issues for Breakfast: The Banana Industry and its Problems , The Science Creative Quarterly, Issue 3, September 07 - April 08 Bananas have been among the countryâs largest exports for a long time and, in 2014, the country exported over 1.1 billion pounds of bananas to the US alone. The only states in the US to grow bananas are Hawaii and Florida, however the crops tend to be small, leaving the US dependent on imported bananas. Good source of vitamin C 10%, which supports a healthy immune system. It is an edible fruit, belonging to the genus Musa.All the species of the Bananas are native to Australia and Indomalaya.It is the largest herbaceous flowering plant. From top-left to bottom-right: a) A Dole banana with a traceability code. The Dominican Republic highly benefits from the export of this fruit, and last year it exported bananas totalling nearly 9.22 million pounds to the United States. This country was among the largest exporters in 2014, and its exports to the US amounted to over 1.7 billion pounds in weight. However, these two companiesâ operations in the country have been significantly affected by strikes and Hurricane Mitch in recent years. The warmer it is, the faster the bananas will ripen. Choose bananas according to the peel color and ripeness desired. In the year 2012 alone, banana exports from this country had a net worth of $815 million. Still, in 2014 Panama exported over 50 million pounds of bananas to the US, making it one of the countryâs largest suppliers for this crop. The Vikings: Who Were They and Where Did They Come From? They were better fruits since there were no severe diseases affecting them. – Dole has active foundations to help the communities where the organic bananas are grown. Bananas can be frozen once the banana is peeled and stored in a freezer bag until ready to use (use a bit of fresh lemon juice to reduce browning). Cavendish bananas are the fruits of one of a number of banana cultivars belonging to the Cavendish subgroup of the AAA banana cultivar group.The same term is also used to describe the plants on which the bananas grow. Bananas entering the United States come from Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, … Dole Fresh Fruit Co. Next time you peel a banana, there's an excellent chance it will have slipped here through a port on the Delaware River. The Dole company grows most of their bananas that are shipped to the United States in Latin American countries such as Colombia, Guatemala, and Costa Rica. Mexico is one of the largest banana producers and exports a large portion of its bananas to the United States. d) A bio- However, the production of bananas in this country are associated with many problems which significantly challenge the workers on the plantations. This is another high producer and exporter of bananas which exported bananas totalling over 912 million pounds to the US in 2014. These pests have now affected over 240 thousand hectares of plantations in the Atlantic region. Dole - How do bananas come to you? Sanford Dole By James Burton on April 3 2018 in Economics. MSc thesis Marie Wesselink – Food traceability: Where do our bananas come from? A Seattle-based law firm has filed suit against Dole Food Company for making proclamations about corporate responsibility while sourcing bananas … Bananas (Sandra Mu/Getty Images) Fact: In 2014, the U.S. imported $1.62 million or 136 tons of dried bananas, according to the International Trade Centre (ITC), a joint agency of … This is contrary to what the US Labor Education in the Americas Project (USLEAP) expects. These are definitely not ripe or firm. I am a HUGE fan of Dole’s organic bananas, especially the ones from Ecuador, and eat them practically every single day. Page | 1 List of figures Figure 1-1. However, some of the pesticides sprayed on banana plantations in this country have continued to raise controversy and some alleged illnesses. Unconfirmed reports indicate that Dole accounts for as much as 60 percent of the US organic market. You can update your YOU+ DOLE filters here to get the most tailored experience. The US itself only produces 0.008 million metric tons of bananas each year, and heavily relies on bananas from other countries to help meet its demands for the fruit. Production of bananas began in Ecuador in 1910. Use fully ripe bananas, with speckles on the peel for baking, smoothies or recipes that specify mashed bananas. The country has over 75 thousand hectares of which 15 thousand are in the states of Chiapas and Tabasco. The Northern Nicaraguan region was once full of agricultural wealth, but the locals claim that this changed after the introduction of a pesticide that has highly affected the health of the workers there. 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Can this blessed ‘Corona’ situation possibly have an upside?

As a Life Coach, Steve feels a strong urge to help people not only to cope with this spell of uncertainty, but “hopefully to emerge from it stronger than we were before this crisis started; when, unfortunately, we took so much for granted. Like many similar global calamities before it, including world wars and pandemics, this virus-spread will change the world because mankind will make new discoveries and adapt new practices,” he tells me.

To make his points clearly, he starts by expressing a few basic – important – presuppositions, or concepts, about Life. Anyone who has ever attended his workshops, or talks, or even follows him on Facebook may find these familiar, even if somewhat controversial.

Why change? I ask. Change, he says, will always happen, whether we like it or not, whether we want it or not, and whether we’re ready for it or not. In fact, “change” is perhaps the only certainty we have during our lifetime.

When change happens externally—in our environment—we get affected too. Sometimes we are affected directly, at other times indirectly. Sometimes we are affected a lot, at other times, not.

“Since everything in life is connected, anything that happens anywhere in the world will affect everything else, even if perhaps in the minutest way, but a chain of events will have been precipitated. This is known as Cause and Effect. So, always expecting change is a good start. Accepting that certain events are inevitable because there is more in life that is out of our control than there is that’s within our personal power is another essential step. The past is what it is. The present is more within our control. Consequently, being able to expect, accept and even embrace change—whatever its form or outcome—is one of the most important life-skills anyone can have. The opening lines of the “Serenity Prayer” express this perfectly:

So, we have to accept that things go wrong, change our lives, shatter our dreams more often than not. Where do we go from here? His answer: “When things go wrong, what is ‘actually’ happening is that these events would not be going as we had planned or as we would have liked them to go. Here is a harsh truth: In the bigger picture, there is no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ way for things to go. This may sound strange, perhaps even objectionable, but in Nature everything happens out of necessity, not for the advantage of anything or anyone. Birth and Death are normal, ongoing events that are equally necessary and interconnected. Our false sense of ‘self-importance’ as a species makes us (humans) believe that whatever happens in the Universe is ‘about us,’ when we are merely a miniscule particle in the vastness of the ‘Big Picture’. Nothing is about us! We are simply minor components of an infinite whole. Of course, some things will change because of our actions— such as ‘climate change’ for example—but it’s not so much because we are in charge of anything. It is rather because we are participants in an ecological environment where every action can prompt a reaction.”

He then quotes Khalil Gibran from his monumental work The Prophet to illustrate our place in the scheme of existence. “When he is asked to speak to the fold about children, the prophet Almustafa says,

Life’s longing for itself. We need the humility to admit that we humans are incidental rather than instrumental to Life. Events will unfold as they must—one way or another—and we can either stress ourselves because we wanted them to unfold differently, or do our best to adopt and flow, surviving in the process as best we can.

Because we are complex living beings, we may not be able to control our emotional responses to our surroundings, but we can often adjust our reactions; hence our conscious thoughts about them and, as a result, we change our feelings.”

We know that we are different from one another and therefore we inevitably react differently to circumstances. Says Steve: “Yes, our personalities have been layered over the years from a mix of different experiences, to say the least, so no two persons are identical. Our behaviour, therefore, will be different as will be our response to the current situation. For some it will be more stressful than for others.”

“Stress,” he says, is an emotional response. “It varies between individuals. Those who generally do not seek external factors to energize themselves, also known as “introverts,” may find it easier to be indoors for prolonged periods, engaging themselves and remaining calm in their own or in limited company. They are used to it. Those who generally need a lot of interaction with other people in order to keep themselves fully charged, also known as “extroverts,” will probably react to the need for isolation with more stress and might struggle to keep calm and engaged while at home alone or in very limited company. They are not used to it.”

Then there are the anxious amongst us. What about them? “Those who are prone to “high anxiety,” meanwhile, need to be kept in our focus. They may need to be reminded that this is a temporary state of affairs. It is a storm and all storms eventually subside. This, too, shall pass! But we all need to be responsible and patient, appreciating the shelter and safety of our homes. My heart bleeds most for the lonely and the homeless. I wish we could all afford them more solidarity during this winter of dull global health.” Anxiety is a natural response that is intended to protect us, he comments: “Do not be surprised if you feel more anxious or worried than usual, especially at times like these. We humans are hard-wired to notice even the first signs of danger and our brain immediately goes into overdrive to keep our bodies safe. The snag is that this “stress response” that we experience as anxiety, as essential as it is for our survival, may be too much for some people to handle in certain circumstances. Our brain does not know when the bad news is fake or exaggerated, so it produces the same response as when we are faced with real danger.”

What can one do to reduce stress? “Use rationale to reason with yourself, as much as possible, to lessen your “imagination” of what might go wrong. Since anxiety results from ‘physiological’ responses in the body, it helps to focus on your breathing to help your brain slow down and calm the rest of your body, releasing better-feeling hormones. If these measures aren’t enough, seek help, but be aware that you are not alone. There is always help for anyone ready to help himself.”

Everyone seems to think that after this trying time our lives are going to change – some say radically, others in small ways. So, what does he read in his crystal ball about this? “These new circumstances are forcing us to change our ways of working, our daily habits and our attitude towards life. How lasting these changes will be remains to be seen. Some of us have had to adapt to working from home. Most of us have limited our movement outside the house to an absolute minimum. Some are in strict quarantine. At the moment, we are not buying clothes or gadgets, except perhaps online. Streets are quiet and entertainment outside the home is on hold. For the most part, we became more conscious about the need to economize on our consumption, realising that we need to keep our homes stocked perhaps for longer periods than originally thought. Hopefully, waste may also be greatly reduced as a result of our predicament.”

Steve continues and says that we seem to be returning to the Past in some ways. “This includes a renewed awareness in the need for public hygiene. During the Second World War, the British Ministry of Health issued posters with the catchy phrase, Coughs and Sneezes spread Diseases. This education was particularly important since people would often be huddled in bomb-shelters for extended periods. Evidently, this is still a good axiom for us to keep in mind too, now that we face such difficult times. The pendulum seems to be swinging toward the other extreme. Thanks to our greatly reduced transport by motor vehicles and an extensive suspension in air travel and tourism, even Mother Earth is having a break from our incessant fuming and polluting.”

We know only too well that the threats facing us are not small. They are economic as well as health- and wellbeing-related. “Let us not underestimate how this can affect us and others in our country, to what extent and for how much longer. What is lacking, perhaps, is a sense of urgency amongst many whose habitual irresponsible nature compels them to abuse their freedom, breaking rules and increasing the risk for others. That said, let us not exonerate ourselves from doing our part.”

Steve emphasises that everyone is connected. While some of us are more prone to certain consequences, no one is exempted. He gives a few examples: “Some people may be more financially stable than others yet have much more at stake economically in these perilous times. Some have the security of a pension but are more at risk healthwise. Some of us have relatives living abroad and may be worried, while others may have elderly parents whom they cannot visit So we are all pretty much in this together. Especially in times like these, it would be very unwise for us to compare ourselves to others. We simply need to do our bit and count our blessings.”

He points out that we all depend on other people to get through this difficult time. “But soon enough we may be looking back and perhaps we’ll have difficulty remembering the detail of this bleak reality, because we shall have won the war against the darn virus and moved on.”

But this is not the first threat to humanity’s survival, and it won’t be the last. “Dire situations tend to bring changes and progress too. Action and reaction often go hand in hand. World War II brought a huge leap in air travel, a dramatic development in other means of transport and advances in communication. Previous epidemics forced nations to improve health services and caused advances in medicine. There is always an upside, even in this crisis … whether or not we are able to see it yet. For one thing, petty differences seem to fade in the background and, so much that we believed was important before the crisis has been overshadowed.”

What qualities do we need to get through this bleak episode as quickly as possible? “The first is discipline. Without discipline there will be chaos. With discipline there will be progress. The second is patience. I remember having an MRI scan a few years ago. I am rather claustrophobic so my tendency would be to panic but knowing that it would be over soon and because I was kept occupied (by the earphone music provided to me) it seemed like a short dream that was over before I knew it.” The third requisite is to have a plan. He explains: “Your emotional wellbeing depends on making the most of your time at home. Prepare lists of activities you need to get done. This could be the time you’ve always dreamed of to (finally) sort out those drawers, or mend stuff, or spend time enjoying your pastimes. Be prepared. Make contact with friends without getting together physically. Share ideas and resources with others.” He emphasises that we need support for one another. “Let us find ways to stay connected, to reach out – especially to those who find it hard to be indoors for too long or who suffer from depression, and not assume they should be the ones reaching out to us if they need help. If you can think of anyone, especially of the elder generation or who suffers from unpleasant emotional conditions, use the phone or any online means to make contact regularly.”

He emphasises that we also have to be aware of what he calls ecology, meaning that we are in the same boat. “Actually, we are much like the crew of a submarine, where anything you do affects the rest of us, and vice versa. Let us exercise respect and selflessness, as opposed to panic buying, breaking quarantine, scaremongering or anything that affects society negatively. A truly civilized society should not require laws to keep its members in check, but alas we are not all civilized enough in our behaviour.” He cautions us about using words because without realizing we may be affecting others negatively instead of spreading calm and hope. “Avoid words that are loaded with drama. Catastrophizing, exaggerating and over-thinking are ways of creating anxiety. Without letting our guard down, let us share kind words and respectful humour. Let us consider how we speak to ourselves and to others.”

What lessons can we learn from this? “There is so much more that we ‘cannot’ control than there is that we can. What we ‘can’ control involves what relates to us, especially our words, our thoughts, our actions and our reactions. Assume responsibility for your actions and for your wellbeing. Avoid blaming others unnecessarily. Accept that the situation is the way it is and we need to make the most of it while it lasts. .As the old song goes, “I can’t stop the rain by complaining.” But I can avoid getting wet (feeling depressed or bored) by taking steps to remain dry (to do what I can to avoid hardship for myself and others).”

How can this awful situation possibly affect us in a positive way? Is there a proverbial ‘silver lining’ here? Steve is ever the optimist. “More than one, actually. Recapping some of the points made earlier, we have the following: Because of the fear of dying this situation has spiked religiousness in a lot of people, although this may have been spurred by the wrong motives in some because to turn to one’s God only when one is afraid points to a devotion of convenience. In my books “Gratitude is the only form of prayer,” so I prefer being grateful for all that is working in my life, rather than praying for protection, prompted by fear of a present threat. On the plus side, this made many people reflect and not take their life for granted.”

He points out that we have seen an increase in solidarity and even witnessed support being offered to complete strangers. “We experienced extraordinary human kindness in sharp contrast with the selfishness demonstrated by those whose actions jeopardized the stability of the nation.”

Another silver lining? “There is the fear of running out of rations. While fear may be irrational and ill-founded, in recent weeks we found ourselves curbing waste. A need to reduce and control our consumption makes us more human than machine. Such a situation also makes us realise what truly matters in life. Many people may have needed this jolt in order to realize that needs and wants are not the same thing and that you cannot eat possessions.”

Those of us who weren’t aware that security is a myth soon realised it. “Seeing how such a misfortune – that was out of our control to begin with – could reach us in a flash from the other side of the globe and how it forced us to close shops, cancel events and stay at home – risking our livelihood in some cases – may bring us to our senses before we pass judgement on socially emarginated people. Losing one’s job is enough to render a person homeless from being unable to pay rent. Let us refrain from labelling homeless people as addicts or lazy. Our own security is a fragile as the leaves on a tree. On a personal note, my life and career were going splendidly a few years ago, or so it seemed on the surface but in a flash – in just one moment – my whole world crumbled. It felt like my success story was cut short and coupled with a horror movie so there I was, in total disbelief, having to start over in my mid-fifties. My safety (“luck” if you will) lay in the fact that I did not have to pay rent and we had a second income, but I learned at that moment that security is a myth.”

Another silver lining is the practice and importance of washing our hands as a vital necessity. “Let us hope this practice stays with us for a couple of generations.” Then the need to cover our mouths. Steve comes up with some interesting facts: “The University of Bristol’s 2019 research indicates that “the airborne transmission of diseases, including the common cold, influenza and tuberculosis, is something that affects everyone with an average sneeze or cough sending around 100,000 contagious germs into the air at speeds of up to 100 miles per hour.” We should all be very aware of this, rather than casual about public hygiene.”

He reminds us that this is a unique occasion to have time to ourselves. “Rather than struggling with it why not actively think of ways to interact with friends remotely and look up online or other resources related to their interests. If you are working from home, don’t become sloppy. Keep yourself in top form.

This is an opportune time to interact with your family, discuss topics of mutual interests, watch movies together, or do other activities… together. We must not forget that we are in this together.”

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