{"id":594,"date":"2020-11-04T14:38:37","date_gmt":"2020-11-04T12:38:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.hanken.fi\/cers\/?p=594"},"modified":"2020-11-11T08:42:01","modified_gmt":"2020-11-11T06:42:01","slug":"my-best-advice-during-covid-19-keep-your-eyes-on-the-ball","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.hanken.fi\/cers\/2020\/11\/04\/my-best-advice-during-covid-19-keep-your-eyes-on-the-ball\/","title":{"rendered":"My best advice during Covid-19: Keep your eyes on the ball"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

During Covid-19, discussions are slipping towards confrontation \u2013 who is to blame for doing or for not doing something, what is right and what is wrong, what is true and what is not. The way we talk to each other strikes me as depressing, and at times even cruel. Particularly online discussions follow ghastly rhetoric that seems only be getting worse. It\u2019s \u201cif you are not with me, you are against me\u201d.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We have\nwitnessed similarly gloomy communication in politics, where people give each\nother the harshest personal blows to undermine their trustworthiness. Think\nabout Donald Trump telling Joe Biden in a presidential debate: \u201dThere’s nothing\nsmart about you, Joe”, continuing that \u201cin 47 years, you’ve done\nnothing.” (Caldera 2020). Nice, aye?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why bring\nthis up? The way we speak to each other is crucial, because we influence, and are\ninfluenced by others. Aristotle and other philosophers following him posit that\nthe art of persuasion, or rhetoric, consists of ideas (logos), emotions\n(pathos), and the morality of the speaker (ethos). It is the last, ethos, that\nis now under attack. It seems no more matter what is said if you can with\nstrong \u2013 and negative \u2013 emotional communication direct attention to all the\nshortcomings a person has, and thereby undermine his or her credibility. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I am\narguing that the focus on personal characteristics distracts us from what we\nshould be focusing on: content. At the same time, we need to accept that there\nare few absolute universal truths in science because of the many factors\nplaying in. Particularly during a new situation, such as a previously unknown pandemic,\nwe should remember that science is a winding path of trial and error during\nwhich knowledge evolves. What was held true yesterday may not apply today,\nbecause we are capable of critically assessing evidence and drawing new\nconclusions accordingly. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Think about\nthe title in Kauppalehti\u2019s column on the 21st<\/sup> of October 2020,\nfreely translated as \u201cWhatever you do during a pandemic, you are shit\u201d. This\ncolumn collects headlines with opposing advice for the public regarding Covid-19.\nSure, witty, but is this really what we want to convey to people? That media\nknows nothing? That scientists know nothing? That we are playing a lose-lose\ngame where there are no good choices? One would wish for a bit of hope amidst\nall the bad news. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

One way to\nkeep spirits up is focusing on what we are doing well and what could be\nimproved. We are in this together and can get through this together, not by\nplaying against each other. My advice is: keep your eyes on the ball. And the\nball is living our lives, now, today. Not tomorrow or when other people think\nmore like us. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

You could\nblame me for naivety for taking this stance for positivity. A Facebook friend\ncomplained that seemingly intelligent people post office dog photos instead of\nmentally stimulating posts. Guilty as charged. Personally, I see enough pretty,\nwitty, sarcastic, mean, and sometimes downright evil posts. I much prefer to direct\nattention to my office dog.  So here you\ngo, one more picture: Keep your eyes on the good things \u2013 the people (and pets)\nwe love, and the things we can do to create meaning in our lives! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Johanna Gummerus<\/a>
Liikesivistysrahasto Associate Professor in Marketing<\/p>\n\n\n\n

References<\/strong>
Caldera, C. (2020)https:\/\/eu.usatoday.com\/story\/news\/2020\/09\/29\/presidential-debate-trump-biden-theres-nothing-smart-you\/3582861001\/<\/a>
Kauppalehti Optio (2020) Teit pandemiassa mit\u00e4 tahansa, olet paska<\/a>. Kolumni 21.10.2020.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Photo: Johanna Gummerus<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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