{"id":15033,"date":"2020-04-24T20:45:11","date_gmt":"2020-04-24T20:45:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mediashower.com\/blog\/?p=15033"},"modified":"2020-04-24T20:45:11","modified_gmt":"2020-04-24T20:45:11","slug":"how-blockchain-will-save-our-states-sos","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mediashower.com\/blog\/how-blockchain-will-save-our-states-sos\/","title":{"rendered":"How Blockchain Will Save Our States (#SOS)"},"content":{"rendered":"

In a New York Times<\/em> article entitled What New York Looked Like During the 1918 Flu Pandemic<\/a>, you can see historical photos that look eerily familiar to today: New Yorkers wearing masks, public health bulletins advising people to cover their sneezes, and graphs showing mortality \u201ccurves.\u201d<\/p>\n

One image from this article has seared itself onto my brain.<\/p>\n


\n
\"Policeman

Courtesy National Archives.<\/p><\/div>
\n<\/center><\/p>\n

This photo says it all. You have the physical<\/em>, financial,\u00a0<\/em>and political\u00a0<\/em>dimensions of the pandemic in one arresting image.<\/p>\n

The policeman with his protective mask and gloves, with a traffic signal commanding the public to BUY LIBERTY BONDS, is a profound statement, and a glimpse into where we are likely headed.<\/p>\n

Before I offer the solution, let me unpack the problem. Like a strand of viral DNA, there\u2019s a lot of information encoded in this single photo.<\/p>\n

The Three Levels of a Pandemic<\/h2>\n

We\u2019re seeing the CoronaCrisis play out on three levels: physical, financial, and political. Let’s visualize this like the three layers of neapolitan ice cream.<\/p>\n


\n
\"Physical

You’ll never look at neapolitan ice cream the same way.<\/p><\/div>
\n<\/center><\/p>\n

In the United States and elsewhere, people are confusing these three levels, so let’s be clear about how each one works.<\/p>\n

The physical\u00a0<\/strong>level is easy to understand. That\u2019s our personal safety, home quarantine, our #HealthcareHeroes, testing kits, vaccine development, social distancing, and Clorox wipes. (You’re soaking in it.) Anything in the so-called \u201creal world\u201d of flesh and bone is physical.<\/p>\n

The financial\u00a0<\/strong>level is also easy to understand: just look at the stock market.<\/p>\n


\n
\"Chart\"

S&P 500 since January 1, 2020.<\/p><\/div>
\n<\/center><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The global financial system is impossibly complex, even for economists, so no one knows where we’re headed. But the simple way to explain what’s happening is:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Fewer people are working<\/strong>.<\/strong> Even those who are working are less productive, because they\u2019re working from home, with distractions and kids and Tiger King<\/em>.<\/li>\n
  2. Fewer people are spending<\/strong>.<\/strong> Except for the basics like food and beverage, people aren\u2019t buying things because the stores are closed<\/em>. Also, they aren\u2019t working (see #1).<\/li>\n
  3. This creates a downward spiral,\u00a0<\/strong>where people are spending less, so businesses are producing less, which means fewer jobs, and even less money to spend.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    While some people are still cheerily optimistic that the economy will quickly bounce back (\u201cany day now!\u201d) the ultimate recovery is probably tied to a vaccine, which is likely somewhere between 2021 and 2024.<\/p>\n


    \n
    \"Timeline\"

    A likely recovery timeline. [Sources: WHO<\/a>, CDC<\/a>]<\/p><\/div>
    \n<\/center><\/p>\n

    The political\u00a0<\/strong>level is another dimension. In the United States, we\u2019ve been slow to react, so we\u2019ve been the hardest hit. Last week citizens began to protest their right to work, prompting some states to reopen prematurely, which simply means the virus will infect more people, and the recovery will be longer.<\/p>\n

    In this powerful image captured by photojournalist Alyson McClaran, you can see a confusion of the physical, financial, and political aspects. “Liberty” (a political value) and “getting back to work” (a financial value) is at odds with “healthcare” (a physical value).<\/p>\n


    \n
    \"Tiananmen

    Our generation\u2019s Tiananmen Square photo.<\/p><\/div>
    \n<\/center><\/p>\n

    These three layers — physical, financial, and political — are interdependent<\/strong>, which means they don\u2019t cause\u00a0<\/em>each other, but rather they are reflections\u00a0<\/em>of each other. Like the human species, it\u2019s all interconnected. You can\u2019t \u201cpull apart\u201d the global economy from the global health crisis, because they\u2019re one thing.<\/p>\n

    It\u2019s called a pandemic.<\/p>\n

    \u201cThe Bankruptcy Route\u201d<\/h2>\n

    In the United States, a strange political drama has unfolded, where the national government has told the states to essentially figure out their own response to COVID-19.<\/p>\n

    Need more ventilators? Figure it out yourselves<\/a>.<\/p>\n

    Need more masks or PPE? Figure it out yourselves<\/a>.<\/p>\n

    Need to coordinate the quarantine timelines? Figure it out yourselves<\/a>.<\/p>\n

    While much decision-making should be delegated to states, it\u2019s just common sense that if Georgia opens back up, people from other states are going to drive to Georgia<\/em>. They\u2019re going to get a haircut and a tattoo, then bring COVID-19 back to their home state, where it further infects their own state.<\/p>\n

    Put another way, you don’t kick a sick patient out of bed and tell him to get back to work. “Really, I feel fine!” he croaks, while he sneezes all over the office phones and infects his co-workers.<\/p>\n

    Once again: it\u2019s all connected. We are one human host<\/em>. That\u2019s how the virus thinks. It\u2019s how we have to think, too.<\/p>\n

    Let\u2019s see how this strategy of “figure it out yourselves” plays out on the three levels:<\/p>\n