Tabula Rasa

In Latin, the term “tabula rasa” means “blank slate”. It’s a theory that at birth the (human) mind is a blank slate without rules for processing data, and that data is added and rules for processing are formed solely by one’s sensory experience.

With the current state of the world, it feels as though a reset button has been pushed with everyone in a sort of “blank slate” state of being. That being said, it can be really hard to focus on the positive right now. However, it is not to say that nothing positive is happening. With the people settling into their new state of normal there have been a number of really heartwarming things posted online.

Today, we at adHOME want to focus on the positive. Check out these six amazing outcomes of the recent social distancing measures that are sure to put a smile on your face.

 

1. Mother Earth is Healing

It is no secret that pollution has been a huge problem for a long time. But now, due to the dramatic decrease in emissions, the earth has begun to heal itself.

Take a look at this graph showing the change in nitrogen dioxide levels in Italy and China, two of the original most affected countries, before and after country-wide lockdowns. The difference is significant.

January 1, 2020                                                                                        March 11, 2020

And this is the effect we can’t see with our own eyes! On social media, a number of images have gone viral showing the fantastic changes in the environment all around the world.

 

Clear water in the Venice canals for the first time since ancient times.

 

A view of the Himalayan mountains from India for the first time in almost 30 years.

Beijing 2018                                      Beijing 2020

Los Angeles, Spring 2018                         Los Angeles, Spring 2020

 

2. Appreciation for Healthcare and Essential Workers

Shortly after the initial outbreak of COVID-19, it quickly became evident who the real-life heroes are. As healthcare and essential workers tirelessly work to keep our society going, there has been an amazing display of appreciation for their efforts.

Known as “Clap For Careers”, individuals are encouraged to make noise and celebrate these courageous people daily at 7pm. This initiative has taken off across the globe,

Even here, in London, Ontario.

 

Google has also joined in by dedicating its iconic “Google Doodles” to all essential workers, celebrating a different industry each day. To see more, click here.

3. Music

Nothing in the world brings people together quite like these two things, music and food. Over the past month, a number of videos have been published showcasing incredible musical talent. Enjoy!

One of the first music-related videos to go viral during the quarantine was this beautiful duet between neighbours.

Many bands and orchestras have come together virtually as well.

 

4. Evolution of Socializing (From A Distance)

Thanks to Zoom, Facetime, HouseParty, and a number of other video chat applications, keeping connected to friends and family while staying physically distant from one another is easier than ever! In just 3 months, the total number of daily active Zoom users jumped from 10 million to 200 million including both paid and free members.

A number of companies, including adHOME, are now using Zoom or Google Hangouts to facilitate their business activities while their employees work remotely. Even the famous skit comedy show Saturday Night Live has gotten in on the action holding their first-ever “Saturday Night Live From Home”.

 

5. Content, Content, Content

With people spending more time than ever at home, many have taken this opportunity to unleash their creative and comedic talents to produce very entertaining content.

Recently, actor and comedian Leslie Jordan has found viral Instagram fame from posting his very relatable videos of himself self-isolating with his mother. In just a few short weeks, Leslie’s internet following grew from just over 100,000 followers to millions! In fact, 3.5 million, as of April 22, 2020, to be exact

After one of Prime Minister Trudeau daily addresses, internet users were quick to poke fun at his unique choice of words.

 

6. Giving Back to the Community

Over the past several weeks, celebrities and public figures have come together to help their communities.

The cast of popular Canadian comedy Schitt’s Creek leveraged the attention they were getting from the show finale and went live on their social media in an effort to raise money for Canadian and US food banks. Together, they managed to raise just over $200,000 in just under a week of live streaming every night.

Perhaps most notable of celebrities to give back is Lady Gaga, who joined forces with the World Health Organization and Global Citizen to hold a massive online concert. The concert, One World: Together at Home, featured musical talents such as The Rolling Stones, Lizzo, Jennifer Lopez, Billie Eilish and of course, Lady Gaga herself. To fund the concert, Gaga approached big corporations like Target, Apple, Verizon and many more contributors. Check out this video of Gaga and Jimmy Fallon confirming a donation from Apple CEO Tim Cooke.

Spanning just over eight hours long, the concert managed to raise over $127 million dollars for coronavirus relief. CLICK here to watch the full concert stream.

 

Undoubtedly, 2020 has brought about a number of challenges and disruptions that we and a global community have never dealt with before. Businesses, individuals and governments are all making the necessary adaptations for the better of public safety. While right now, it is unclear exactly when things will return to “normal”, it is random acts of positivity, kindness, and creativity like the examples we covered today that help keep us going.