Lockdown - how to stay sane?

[Blurock]

How do you stay sane under lock down?
Do you work from home and carry on regardless, or is your job of such a nature that you are now virtually unemployed?

I am in the fortunate position that I have been working from home on and off for the last + 15 years or more.
I have a fully equipped office and am used to the discipline of keeping a schedule.
However, with business coming to a standstill, I now have to find other ways of keeping busy.

Fortunately, we live in a quiet suburb with amazing bird life and a virtual zoo with vervet monkeys and a troop of mongooses who come and visit daily.
Quite amusing to watch their antics as they forage and play.

[ians]

We extended the veggie garden ...most important thing right now...a food source...we bought lots of seed... compost and stuff...already starting to show...the older part of the veggie garden is already a food source.

We have also been busy building an 8 X 6 wooden deck...day 3 we completed the top and started the sides ...but run out of wood.

I am busy sorting out all the tools and equipment ...giving them a good clean and checking what is missing and finding stuff i thought was had got lost

Working on an X64 alarm system... and upgrading the CCTV ...trying to figue out how to link the CCTV to the X64 (new tech released with the new app) ..unfortunately when it comes to backup and training ...i cant give IDS much credit...they release new tech but no how to video or instruction manual etc

We have a routine in place to make sure everyone does their bit... ie washing dishes ...cleaning floors ...making beds etc ...so all the chores are done first in the morning and before we go to bed.

I am running out of time only 2 weeks left and still have way too much to finish.

[Blurock]

A veggie garden is a good idea if you have the yard space for it. Gets you outside in fresh air and has the benefit of saving you money on the exorbitant prices being charged now.
Suddenly there are no tomatoes available. I can kick myself because that must be the easiest to grow.

[ians]

We are fortunate ...a bunch of bananas are busy getting ripe in the garage ... the trees are full of avos ... the tree is full of papaya... we share them with the monkeys ...birds and have even seen a half a monster rat up the tree eating them... the only thing not growing like crazy are the tomatoes.

We have a snail problem... i have never seen so many snails... the neighbour said we should spray vinegar ...it seems to be working ...we will see tomorrow.

[Blurock]

It appears as if people are getting bored and are now posting silly videos on social media. Even sending them to TV stations and irritating the hell out of me on WhatsApp. Also spending a disproportionate amount of time on the internet, slowing down connections for people who are actually still working on their laptops from home.

[Blurock]

My biggest concern is that the masses are getting restless and upset with the lock-down. No job means no food. With money and food running out, some people are getting desperate. We have already seen shops being attacked and looted. Most do not have access to world news and do not realise just how serious this pandemic is.

Businesses are closing and people are losing their jobs. To top it all, government is not going to pay the negotiated increases to their staff. Numsa has already threatened action and others will surely follow. This is a cause of concern as it may lead to a sudden uprising and total anarchy, should people decide to storm the shops. There is also a risk that such actions may spill over to residential areas. Are we ready and capable to deal with such a scenario? Heaven forbid.

[Dave A]

We are going to need programs to get people active...

In a bigger picture sense, I have been doing some pondering on how well Capitalism is going to deal with this.
Which leads to some Capitalism vs Socialism thinking...

Technology's march has been making job redundancy a mega-trend for some time already. So far society has managed to cope with the shift - at least sort-of. I have a sense that this virus has the potential to push the world into a new socio-economic order which will become the new normal.

Five years ago a person suggesting a universal income grant would be regarded as mad. With the effect of the virus containment response in play, how far away are we from a universal income grant becoming the only way to maintain a reasonably stable society?

[adrianh]

My family and I have the exact opposite. My wife still earns big money caring for the elderly in the UK and my eldest daughter now teaches English online and earns 10 USD an hour. I do CAD for a company in the UK, my food manufacturer customers keep me very busy and my scale model stuff is bursting at the seams. I am not bragging - I am truly thankful and surprised by the turn of events.

We seem to have the correct positioning for the situation. Between embedded care services, online teaching, remote IT (CAD) services, "essential services" customers and home based design and manufacturing for a wealthy patient customer base we are blessed to thrive.

Look, I understand that others are struggling, I paid my worker in full and I also paid a carpenter friend in full for a service that I want him to provide some time in the future for me.

What I am getting at in a round about way - now that I've focused my thoughts is this: Although the situation is unpleasant there are ways thrive - I don't think that what we do is the only way - I do think though that if one applies your mind creatively that one could find ways to use your skills to earn a living cooped up at home.

Life is all about choices - we can choose to sit at home and drown in despair or one can use the opportunity to alter one's perception about the future and enable oneself to thrive in what is to be a totally different, mostly, non-contact economy.

I love online education and those with skills can certainly earn a a fair living by presenting courses.

I subscribe to a couple of people on Patreon and pay them a bit of money every month for their videos and tutorials.

This guy simply blows my mind - Not that I am into RF engineering or troubleshooting, no, simply because he is an absolutely brilliant educator. Take a look at how he troubleshoots RF gear....

https://www.youtube.com/user/MrCarlsonsLab

[Blurock]

Good for you Adrian. Yes, the world is not standing still and people are getting left behind. 100 years ago about 80% - 90% of all industries were directly or indirectly involved in agriculture. Today it is far less than 10%. Manufacturing was the main driver in the 50's 60's and 70's. We had the IT boom and bust and now it is services. One has to anticipate and adapt. Some people are lucky to be in the right place at the right time, but most of us have to look and work for that opportunity.

I do think that there are still opportunities for innovative, passionate people who are prepared to work hard.
Your wife is very brave to work so far from home and family. Caring is a thankless job, but fortunately for her, the exchange rate makes it more worthwile.

[Dave A]

I am stoked for you. I'm not too badly placed myself.
Unfortunately the majority are not nearly as well positioned, or entrepreneurial, or appropriately skilled...

And they have to eat.
They need shelter.
And idle hands... get up to mischief.

Between need and boredom, fundamental disciplines that make normal society function are very likely to break down.
The "have nots" are going to interfere with that neatly crafted life of the "haves", if the "haves" don't start laying plans to help.

[adrianh]

Caring is a thankless job, but fortunately for her, the exchange rate makes it more worthwile.

My wife is really good at it and loves doing it. One of her patients (a guy with cerebral palsy) sent my daughters and I a long Whatsapp message about how great she is and how he appreciates having her around. Her clients rave about her. She says that she gets paid to be on holiday, watch TV, knit and talk nonsense with lonely people. She is fully booked for the next two years and the patients seem to fight over getting a booking with her. Her plan is to get citizenship using her ancestral visa. Doing so will create a base for us in the UK. My daughters and I will probably move there some time in the future. I have a client in the UK that owns an engineering company and my skillset is more than perfect for his needs...maybe one day when my daughters are done with their studies in South Africa..... (I don't like the UK as such but I am keen to travel all over Europe)

[adrianh]

I am stoked for you. I'm not too badly placed myself.
Unfortunately the majority are not nearly as well positioned, or entrepreneurial, or appropriately skilled...

And they have to eat.
They need shelter.
And idle hands... get up to mischief.

Between need and boredom, fundamental disciplines that make normal society function are very likely to break down.
The "have nots" are going to interfere with that neatly crafted life of the "haves", if the "haves" don't start laying plans to help.

I agree with you on all counts. Another thing to consider is that this is now a worldwide problem. Moving to another country is not a solution - the solution for the individual lies in positioning oneself to quietly thrive without drawing attention to oneself.

[Blurock]

We are going to need programs to get people active...

In a bigger picture sense, I have been doing some pondering on how well Capitalism is going to deal with this.
Which leads to some Capitalism vs Socialism thinking...

I have also started to think about capitalism in its current form and have realised that it is not capitalism that is the problem, it is greed and self-centredness. Capitalism has lifted whole nations out of poverty while communism has only created poverty and despair. Unfortunately, greed has led to globalisation which has made the world smaller and created opportunities for international groups to manipulate smaller economies. Consider the size of Microsoft, Apple, Amazon, Alibaba etc. viz most 3rd world countries. Their individual T/o is more than the combined GDP of most African countries. Would they then not have an influence on the governments of those countries where they are operating?

Globalisation has also opened the doors to international money laundering and trading in currencies which can be manipulated in various ways. If you want to buy commodities from a country, would it not benefit you if a currency deteriorated in your favour? Basically, capitalism has been hijacked by corrupt crooks as we have seen in our own country.

Is this pandemic the end of globalisation? Unrestricted movement has led to the spreading of viruses and contamination as never seen before. More people are now realising the value of local manufacturing and protection of your own IP. I am of the opinion that it will take a long time for international trade and travel to stabilize if ever. There may then be more opportunities for local manufacturing and support for local businesses. That is if we do not fall into total anarchy before a recovery can be made.

[Dave A]

I have also started to think about capitalism in its current form and have realised that it is not capitalism that is the problem, it is greed and self-centredness. Capitalism has lifted whole nations out of poverty while communism has only created poverty and despair.

Which is why I raise Socialism as the counterpoint (rather than Communism). My basic thinking is Capitalism is the wealth and production engine, and Socialism is what moderates Capitalism's societal weaknesses. Something akin to what we see in the Scandinavian countries at the moment, perhaps.

Is this pandemic the end of globalisation? Unrestricted movement has led to the spreading of viruses and contamination as never seen before. More people are now realising the value of local manufacturing and protection of your own IP. I am of the opinion that it will take a long time for international trade and travel to stabilize if ever. There may then be more opportunities for local manufacturing and support for local businesses. That is if we do not fall into total anarchy before a recovery can be made.

This has certainly highlighted the supply chain risks associated with globalisation, particularly when a region or country dominates a part of the supply chain.

Classic example at the moment. We can get locally made bottles for hand sanitizer, but the spray nozzle tops and pump tops are imported... and the import supply chain is totally wrecked right now.

[Blurock]

Which is why I raise Socialism as the counterpoint (rather than Communism). My basic thinking is Capitalism is the wealth and production engine, and Socialism is what moderates Capitalism's societal weaknesses. Something akin to what we see in the Scandinavian countries at the moment, perhaps.

I agree with you, Dave. It appears as if the Scandinavian countries have the perfect recipe, unfortunately, that will only work in a first world country where people are educated and civilized. I am afraid in 3rd world countries where health services are being attacked while attending to an emergency, relief food trucks burnt (now, in Zimbabwe), schools burnt down and looted, it is not going to work. In these countries you need a responsible dictator (is that even possible?) to lay down the law and rule with an iron fist.