“The Hope Pandemic” series addresses the changes transforming our lives and the opportunity we have before us to shape a new world that is founded on compassion, justice and sustainability.
The Covid situation reveals so many things about us as humans. Yes, we may be highly evolved adaptable beings but we are also quite unruly…
Case in point, social distancing in a supermarket. Have you noticed that humans are quite incapable of maintaining adequate distance? They will brush against you to reach the vegetables, breathe into you at the deli, and dart past you to reach misbehaving kids?
While it is almost possible to avoid close contact in the open areas, it is humanly impossible to socially distance in the aisles. I have seen even those of us with superhuman discipline fail miserably.
So, in Seattle – Wholefoods, the chain bought out recently by Amazon, instituted a very simple remedy. (They may not be the first ones who did it, but other supermarkets have followed suit).
They placed arrows on the floors and made the trip through the aisles: one way only. Imagine that. By simply guiding traffic one way they solved an almost insurmountable dilemma. Genius.
So who says innovative solutions have to be complex? Sometimes all we need to solve seemingly intractable challenges is pure, simple, no-nonsense, logical, in your face, common sense.
