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A Covid-19 pandemic has caused an upheaval on the global stage, radically affecting the lives of people, organizations and countries, leaving a trail of concerns in the brightest minds, but also providing countless lessons. We know that civilization is evolving under a few pillars such as Communication, Energy and Mobility. In this article, I take stock of this legacy, which I divide into three blocks: psychosocial, technostructural and economic aspects. In this first article, I'm going to focus basically on the psychosocial aspects that are the drivers of the technostructural and economic impacts that I'll cover in the next post.

Pandemics are cyclical phenomena. Humanity has a long history of pandemics, which began when humans discovered agriculture, settled down and formed tribes, creating a process of agglomeration that facilitates the spread of disease. Some of the most devastating were the black plague, which originated in China and hit Europe in 1348, and the Spanish flu in 1918. Swine flu, the first pandemic of the 21st century, appeared in pigs in Mexico in 2009 and quickly spread around the world.

The novel coronavirus pandemic began with a health crisis, which turned into a health crisis and led to isolation as a countermeasure. As a result of the isolation, a psychological crisis began.

1. The first aspect to highlight is the unpreparedness of many government leaders, which has caused fear and insecurity, feelings heightened by the media and isolation. For political reasons, some governments have failed to provide transparent information, and most have not taken swift action. By November 2019, the potential of the problem was already known, as well as the fact that crowds were conducive to the spread of the virus. Even so, the New Year's Eve and Carnival parties accelerated the spread of the virus.
2. The phenomenon of politicizing the pandemic, which has occurred in some countries, has resulted in ideological polarization. As a result, people and governments were unable to reach a synergy of action. All over the world, and also in Brazil, it was determined that each state would take its own measures, which made it difficult to coordinate a central response to the problem and hampered the efficiency and effectiveness of the treatment.
3. Scientific studies have evolved with controversial conclusions that have matured, generating insecurity among the population. Unlike in the past, when major catastrophes were seen as a punishment from God, today science is considered the best tool for dealing with this type of problem and it needs time to generate the expected results.
4. In exceptional situations, people put the brakes on consumption because of the uncertainty of how to guarantee their survival, and keep financial resources as a reserve to support themselves. But this time, consumption fell in some categories - travel, events, entertainment, retail, gyms and the various face-to-face economic activities - and grew in others, such as logistics and information technology services.
5. Communication, which is essential at these times, has become instantaneous through information technology, providing an exchange of ideas and speeding up the search for solutions to deal with the crisis.
6. Due to confinement, human beings had a break in the process of Mobility, but technology aimed at Communication improved, also providing the visual resource, which helped to compensate for the lack of mobility, an essential aspect for humanity.
7. Energy has been a critical element, and society has changed the way it uses it. Much of the electricity consumed for professional use, for example, has migrated from offices to homes. The use of mechanical energy needed to move people from one place to another has been reduced, as has the production of thermal energy caused by these movements.
8. The pandemic has affected various activities, such as teaching and work. The education system was unprepared to deal with the situation, and technology ensured its continuity in a virtual way. Technological education has accelerated to enable banking and shopping. In the same way, remote working has taken hold and changed working relationships, and the post-pandemic forecast is that face-to-face work will coexist with virtual work.
9. The change in family dynamics has also been striking. The family nucleus has had to adjust to a new and totally different situation, in which parents work from home, children have virtual classes at home, and the cleaning service is done by the family itself. This has led to an overload of tasks and increased stress, but it has also led to a rediscovery of family life and greater interaction between parents and children.
10. Another important change was the openness to dialog and agreement at the most diverse levels of relations and sectors of activity. The focus shifted to maintaining good relations. The parties understood that, at this time, it was much better to talk and negotiate in order to preserve the relationship.
11. Once again, information has played a fundamental role in transforming uncertainty into risk, making it possible to evaluate the most diverse interactions.
12. Another important lesson concerns the health measures that have been incorporated into personal habits, and which will certainly help us prevent future health crises.
13. Finally, the pandemic has helped to rethink the belief that human beings are the masters of nature and has repositioned humanity as a harmonious participant in the environment, in order to bring about natural and economic sustainability. As a result, the pandemic has driven the adoption of ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance).

For society as a whole, the months of isolation have confirmed that the technological experience is efficient, but not interactive enough in person. And that the virtual does not completely replace the face-to-face. This period also led to an increase in solidarity, collaboration and solidarity between people, reducing competition in favor of collaboration. It has also helped people to value what they have lost, especially freedom in its broadest sense.

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By: Elias Sfeir President of ANBC & Member of the Climate Council of the City of São Paulo & Certified Advisor