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May 16, 2020,
Once seemingly set in stone, they are about to change.
Massively. Globally.
At little as six months ago, most of us had priorities that we built the foundation for over time and in some ways, we felt that they were firmly lodged in stone.
Or at least clay.
The recent pandemic showed us it was more like mud.
Make that quick sand.
The team at worldometers.info educates that as of April 22, 2020, there are currently 2,557,181 people who have been infected by the coronavirus.
That figure has changed the priorities of nations.
When a group or a person cares about one thing over all others, that’s the top priority.
Priority comes from the word prior, which means to come before something else. A priority is the concern, interest or desire that comes before all others.
One of the most enjoyable top priorities in the United States, throughout the year, was to nationally enjoy collegiate and major league sports. The stadiums have been packed.
The spread of the virus brought an end to that. For how long, we don’t know.
The new priority of a nation is to focus on limiting the spread of the often deadly virus.
Priorities have completely changed. And here we thought the previous priorities were so important. They still are. Just not as. Just not right now.
Once the priority in bad times change, it is a little intriguing to reflect back upon was the priority in good times.
“Comfort and luxury are usually the chief requirements of life for your ego – its top priorities tend to be accumulations, achievements, and the approval of others.”…Wayne Dyer
Look at what previously splashed across the headlines.
The College Admissions Scandal is a 2019 TV film that aired on Lifetime as part of its “Ripped from the Headlines” feature film. The film is based on the 2019 college admissions bribery scandal and stars Penelope Ann Miller, Mia Kirshner, and Michael Shanks. It tells a fictional account of the event that involves two fictional characters.
Caroline DeVere (Penelope Ann Miller) and Bethany Slade (Mia Kirshner) are two wealthy mothers. Caroline is an interior designer and Bethany owns a financial services firm. When they want their teenagers to get into a college, they resort to paying Rick Singer (Michael Shanks) to get them in.
That of course in illegal.
Getting your child into one of the best colleges in a top priority and that is understandable.
If you live in an economically powerful country, especially so. If you don’t, even in what the world now once considered good times, in a third world country, your priorities can be very different.
Though it doesn’t make the news on a nightly basis, in 2019, here is what it was like to live in Bangladesh.
As in many developing countries, poverty in Bangladesh has been an alarming social issue for a significant amount of time. Shortly after its independence, approximately 82% of the population lived under the poverty line.
When you live under the poverty line, getting your child into a top college is not a priority. Eating and surviving is.
The good news is, since economic reforms and trade liberalization of early 1990s, along with accelerated economic growth since early-2000s, Bangladesh have experienced a dramatic progress in reducing poverty.
The remarkable progress in poverty alleviation has been recognized by international institutions.
According to World Bank, more than 33 million Bangladeshi people have been lifted out of poverty since 2000; Bangladesh’s poverty rate fell from 82% in 1972, to 18.5% in 2010, 13.8% in 2016, 8.3% in 2018, and below 4% in 2020.
Since the early-2000s, rapid economic growth has fueled a remarkable increase in per-capita income. Bangladesh’s per capita has increased almost threefold between 2010 and 2020, from under $700 to $2,068, moving Bangladesh into the ranks of middle-income economy.
Here is the really good news.
At current this growth, Bangladesh is projected to enter upper-middle income status by 2041. Based on the current rate of poverty reduction, Bangladesh is projected to eliminate extreme poverty by 2021, the first country in South Asia to do so.
Bravo. Amazing. And you know what? We think you can guess.
Once they become substantially upper middle income as a nation, what do you think is going to happen to the average citizen’s priorities? What will then become important?
The interesting thing about priorities in while we are in the middle of our current life, they seem so important.
The latest fashion.
The expensive SUV.
Cosmetic surgery.
Dating apps.
Eating out at fine restaurants.
Ah, yes. Attending major sporting events in large stadiums.
We know of someone in our circle who explained to us that when her family was poor, they did everything together and were extremely close. They had large gatherings with their relatives during every holiday and had a great time. Simple pleasures were cherished.
Then, once her parents got promotions and began to make more money, they spent far less time together. They spent less time with their relatives too.
At one point, she and her parents only saw each other maybe once or twice a year.
Very true story.
Apparently material prosperity changed their priorities.
“We do not have a money problem in America. We have a values and priorities problem.”… Marian Wright Edelman
Priorities truly are not in stone and during extremely bad times, shouldn’t that experience teach us much about what should be our priorities in good times?
Being kind to your neighbor.
Spending time with your family members.
Having long conversations with your loved ones.
Contributing to your community or society in a positive way.
Taking good care of your health so that due to pre-existing conditions, you are not the most vulnerable to be killed by an unexpected virus.
Shouldn’t those be priorities all of the time?
It might be possible that this global crisis will give us time to pause and reflect upon our priorities. We certainly have more time on our hands to do so. Perhaps we can put that time to good use.
As soon as there is a vaccine, though we sense life will never be the same as it was before the pandemic, it most likely will return us to a sense of normalcy.
In terms of our important new priorities, what should we learn? Will they be exactly the same as they were before the pandemic?
Or will our sense of what is truly important in life become the new guiding light to our future top priorities?
~ ~ ~
OPENING PHOTO grapplingstars.com, femcompetitor.com, fciwomenswrestling.com, fcielitecompetitor.com fciwomenswrestling2.com articles, pexels.com-photo fauxels
https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/?utm_campaign=homeAdvegas1
https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/priority
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_College_Admissions_Scandal
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poverty_in_Bangladesh
https://www.brainyquote.com/topics/priorities-quotes
https://fciwomenswrestling.com/
https://www.fcielitecompetitor.com/
