In a time of disasters, wars and diametrically opposed opinions, it can be difficult to continue to believe in the goodness of people. Yet I would like to challenge you to look for the beautiful and good in people, especially now.
Focus on the positive
I admit, it is not always easy to continue to see the good in people. There are days when everyone is in a hurry and seems to have a short fuse.
When you then see in the news what people are doing to each other and to the Earth, your heart sinks.
At such a moment you can choose to become frustrated and bitter, but you can also focus on beautiful and positive things.
Even when humanity shows its ugliest side, there are people who spread love, hope and light. Heroes exist, you just can’t recognize them by a cape.
Naive or smart?
Some people think such a positive worldview is naive. Or they say you’re an ostrich with its head in the sand.
This is not right. There is a difference between fooling yourself and consciously choosing to focus on the good instead of the bad.
A positive outlook has many benefits:
You experience more happiness, love and pleasure in your life.
You feel connected to the people around you.
Optimistic people are often healthier and live longer.
It helps you achieve more in your life.
You inspire others to be happier and more positive too.
Keep faith in the future
People who have faith in the goodness of others have faith in the future . They dare to look ahead. These are the people who want to become the best version of themselves and thereby inspire others to do the same.
While fear, despair and doom-mongering actually cause paralysis. If you only see the bad in people, you are less likely to start a positive movement.
It is not without reason that dictators and extremist leaders like to spread fear and turn people against each other. That’s so oppressive.
The talent to help someone else
Do you doubt the goodness of people? Then consider that it has been scientifically proven that every person is born with a sense of justice and the talent to help others. You just have to develop that talent. Upbringing, culture and living conditions play a role in this.
It also matters how connected someone feels to the people around them. Ultimately, we are all connected. As family members, friends, colleagues, local residents, Dutch people and residents of this Earth.
How we behave, what we do and what we say affects the people around us. This quickly creates a domino effect. A smile or friendly gesture can make a big difference.
For example, I recently read a story of a woman who had just lost her father. When she dropped a container of yogurt from her hands at the supermarket checkout, she burst into tears.
Almost immediately there were people around her. One person put an arm around her shoulder, others helped with cleaning up, paying and packing the groceries. She never forgot this small gesture of compassion .
It shows that we are all essentially the same. Sooner or later we all face adversity, sadness and loss. When you have experienced for yourself how important humanity is at such a moment, you are more likely to do the same for someone else.
Look beyond the outside
You never know what someone is struggling with. A colleague who is unreasonably fierce may not have slept for weeks – because he is worried about a sick child, has money problems or is going through a divorce.
That doesn’t make him a bad person, it makes him human.
You have probably said something at a bad time that you didn’t mean – or that you later regretted.
Therefore, always look beyond the words someone says. See the person behind it. A person with fears, insecurities, doubts, pain, sadness, love and hope.
Instead of reacting angrily or irritated to that colleague, you can try to find out what is really going on.
This can be uncomfortable. You must be willing to go along with the other person for a while in the darkness. Don’t give unsolicited advice, but make room for uncomfortable emotions, listen and encourage.
By shining your light on the good in people, it also becomes visible to others. In this way you break the negative spiral and ensure more connection, understanding and progress in the world.
The race between creating and eliminating deepfakes is in full swing. Technology is becoming more and more accessible and deepfakes are becoming increasingly difficult to distinguish from real ones.
What exactly are deepfakes? A refresher
How are deepfakes made?
The Good – An Optimistic View
The dangers of deepfakes
What can we do to distinguish fake from real?
The future of fake – and other considerations
Despite a huge increase in positive applications, the dangers of deepfakes continue to raise widespread concern as they become more widely known and better understood. We are inundated with content describing how rapidly this deep learning technology is being developed, that deepfake tech is becoming more sophisticated and easier to access, and what the risks are when this technology falls into the wrong hands. Like it or not, and as disturbing as the negative consequences of using deepfakes may be, they are and will remain a part of our lives. And even though deepfakes receive mostly negative publicity, there are also many reasons to be excited about this technology and its many positive applications. Deepfake technology, for example, makes it possible to create completely new types of content and democratize access to creation tools – which until recently were either too expensive or too complicated for the average person. The use of artificial intelligence to create realistic simulations could actually be a positive development for humanity.
What exactly are deepfakes? A refresher
Giving a comprehensive definition of deepfakes is not easy. The term deepfake combines the words deep (from deep learning) and fake (fake). We know that deepfakes are made possible by deep learning technology, a machine learning technique that allows computers to learn by following examples. Deepfake technology uses a person’s behavior – such as the voice, image and typical facial expressions or body movements – to create completely new content that is virtually indistinguishable from authentic content. This technology can also be used to make people say or do things in videos that they never said or did, or to replace someone in a video with another person, or to create video content featuring important political figures or celebrities or even with people who don’t exist at all. The manipulation of existing – or the creation of new – digital images is not new. In fact, AI-generated pornographic content first surfaced in late 2017. The creation of this type of video material initially took at least a year and was done by experts in high-tech studios. But thanks to the rapid development of deepfake technology in recent years, this can now be done a lot faster and easier and the results are much more convincing. The term deepfakes was originally used for specific pornographic content, but now it is applied much more broadly to describe many different types of AI-generated or synthetic video content. AI-generated pornographic content first surfaced in late 2017. The creation of this type of video material initially took at least a year and was done by experts in high-tech studios. But thanks to the rapid development of deepfake technology in recent years, this can now be done a lot faster and easier and the results are much more convincing. The term deepfakes was originally used for specific pornographic content, but now it is applied much more broadly to describe many different types of AI-generated or synthetic video content. AI-generated pornographic content first surfaced in late 2017. The creation of this type of video material initially took at least a year and was done by experts in high-tech studios. But thanks to the rapid development of deepfake technology in recent years, this can now be done a lot faster and easier and the results are much more convincing. The term deepfakes was originally used for specific pornographic content, but now it is applied much more broadly to describe many different types of AI-generated or synthetic video content. But thanks to the rapid development of deepfake technology in recent years, this can now be done a lot faster and easier and the results are much more convincing. The term deepfakes was originally used for specific pornographic content, but now it is applied much more broadly to describe many different types of AI-generated or synthetic video content. But thanks to the rapid development of deepfake technology in recent years, this can now be done a lot faster and easier and the results are much more convincing. The term deepfakes was originally used for specific pornographic content, but now it is applied much more broadly to describe many different types of AI-generated or synthetic video content.
How are deepfakes made?
To create a realistic deepfake video of an existing person, a neural network must be trained using video images of this person, including an extensive range of facial expressions, in all kinds of different light and from every angle imaginable, so that the artificial intelligence gains a deep ‘understanding’ of not only the appearance but also the ‘essence’ of the person in question. The trained network is then combined with techniques such as advanced computer graphics to place a made-up version of this person on top of the person in the original video, as it were. While this process is much faster than it was a few years ago, truly credible results are still quite time consuming and complicated. However, cutting-edge technology, such as Samsung AI technology developed in a Russian AI lab, makes it possible to create a deepfake video with just a handful of images – or even just one.
The Good – An Optimistic View
While the not-so-kosher uses of deepfakes are quite frightening, this technology also offers many benefits and we regularly find new, positive uses for deepfaketech. Think, for example, of editing video images without having to do reshoots, or ‘ bringing it back to life’from artists who are no longer with us. For example, researchers at the Samsung AI lab in Moscow recently succeeded in converting Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa into video. Through deep learning technology, they managed to make this famous lady move her head, mouth and eyes. Deepfake technology was also used at the Dalí Museum in Florida to display a life-size deepfake of surrealist artist Salvador Dalí that features several quotes he has written or spoken during his art career. With deepfake technology, we can experience things that never existed, or see all kinds of future possibilities before us. In addition to the many different possible applications in art and entertainment, this technology can also do all kinds of impressive things in education and healthcare. Below are a few more interesting examples of this groundbreaking technology.
Speech manipulator converts text to speech
Adobe’s VoCo software – still in the research and prototype phase – lets you convert text into speech and edit it, just as you would images in Photoshop. Suppose you want to comment on a film clip by, for example, David Attenborough or Morgan Freeman. With VoCo, this is now possible without having to spend a fortune hiring the real voice actors. The software allows you to modify an existing audio recording of a person by adding words and phrases, without the original narrator ever saying them. During a live demo in San Diego, an Adobe employee transformed a digitized recording of a man who had originally said “I kissed my dogs and my wife” to “I kissed Jordan three times.” A 20 minute speech recording was used to arrive at this result. The transcribed version of this recording was then modified and converted into the new voice clip at the touch of a button. As impressive as this technology may be, these kinds of developments could further exacerbate the already problematic situation of fake news and further undermine public trust in journalism. However, Adobe has announced that it is taking action to address these potential challenges. Such developments could further exacerbate the already problematic situation of fake news and further undermine public trust in journalism. However, Adobe has announced that it is taking action to address these potential challenges. Such developments could further exacerbate the already problematic situation of fake news and further undermine public trust in journalism. However, Adobe has announced that it is taking action to address these potential challenges.
Convincing dubbing through automated facial resuscitation
Synthesia, an AI software company founded by a team of researchers and entrepreneurs from Stanford, Cambridge, University College London and the Technical University of Munich, introduces a new kind of media – facial resuscitation software – that enables automated and highly persuasive dubbing. The AI startup was put on the map with the release of a synthetic video in which David Beckham talks about the deadly disease Malaria in nine different languages. This technology can be used in a variety of ways and offers creators around the world an enormous amount of additional possibilities. Synthesia and the international news service Reuters recently teamed up to create the world’s first synthesized, newsreader-spoken newscasts. For this they used basic deepfake technology, with which they made new newscasts based on pre-recorded clips from a newsreader. By far the most remarkable thing is that this technology makes it possible to automatically generate news items that can also be personalized for individual viewers. Synthesia’s technology can be used for training purposes to develop video modules in more than 40 languages and create or modify content easily and quickly. With this technology, you can also turn text and slides into video presentations in minutes, without the need for video editing skills. This is useful for purposes such as business communication, among other things. Synthesia’s technology can be used for training purposes to develop video modules in more than 40 languages and create or modify content easily and quickly. With this technology, you can also turn text and slides into video presentations in minutes, without the need for video editing skills. This is useful for purposes such as business communication, among other things. Synthesia’s technology can be used for training purposes to develop video modules in more than 40 languages and create or modify content easily and quickly. With this technology, you can also turn text and slides into video presentations in minutes, without the need for video editing skills. This is useful for purposes such as business communication, among other things.
With deepfakes anyone can dance like a pro
Tinghui Zhou, CEO and co-founder of Humen AI, a dance deepfakes startup, has teamed up with his research colleagues at UC Berkeley to develop technology that lets anyone dance like a pro. Think, for example, of the impressive dance moves of Bruno Mars. For this, the gentlemen used a type of artificial intelligence called GANs (generative adversarial networks), with which you can ‘read’ someone’s dance steps, copy them and ‘paste’ them on a target body. The system can be used for all kinds of dance styles – such as ballet, jazz, modern or hip-hop. First, videos of the source dancer and the target dancer are recorded. Then the images of the dancers turned into stick figures. After that, the swap takes place through a neural network synthesis video of the target dancer based on the stick figure movements of the sourcedancer – and voila! All you need for this are some video images and the right AI software. It’s impressive work and traditionally this kind of video manipulation with a whole team would take you several days. Humen AI aims to turn the dance video gimmick into an app and eventually develop a paid service for advertising agencies, video game developers, and even Hollywood studios. Ricky Wong, co-founder of Humen AI, says: “With three minutes of motion images and material from professionals, you can make anyone dance. We try to bring joy and fun to people’s lives.” Zhou adds, “The future we envision is one where anyone can create Hollywood-level content.”
Smart assistants and virtual people
Smart assistants like Siri, Alexa, and Cortana have been around for a while and have improved a lot in recent years. However, they still feel somewhat like a new user interface that should give you exact instructions, rather than a virtual creature that you can interact with naturally. And one of the most important steps in creating credible virtual “human” assistants that we can interact with is the ability to mimic facial expressions, body posture, gestures and voices. These so-called virtual persons are slowly but surely becoming mainstream – think of digital influencers for example – and with them we communicate just like we do with real people. And while digital influencers don’t really respond to you in their own words, because their content is created by storytellers, they herald a future of “natural” interaction with real virtual creatures. With deepfake technology trained with countless examples of human behavior, we could give smart assistants the ability to make and understand high-quality conversations. And thanks to the same technology, even digital influencers can develop the ability to respond visually – in real time – in credible ways. Welcome to the future of virtual people. And thanks to the same technology, even digital influencers can develop the ability to respond visually – in real time – in credible ways. Welcome to the future of virtual people. And thanks to the same technology, even digital influencers can develop the ability to respond visually – in real time – in credible ways. Welcome to the future of virtual people.
Deep generative models offer new possibilities in healthcare
Deepfake technology can also offer many benefits in other sectors, such as healthcare. The tech can be used to synthesize realistic data to help researchers develop new treatment methods for diseases so that they are no longer dependent on patient data. Work in this area has already been conducted by a team of researchers from the Mayo Clinic, the MGH & BWH Center for Clinical Data Science, and NVIDIA, who have collaborated on using GANs (generative adversarial networks) to create synthetic brain MRI scans. develop. The team trained its GAN with data from two brain MRI datasets: one contained about two hundred MRIs showing tumors and the other thousands of MRIs showing signs of Alzheimer’s. According to the researchers, algorithms trained with a combination of “fake” medical images and 10 percent real images became just as adept at detecting tumors as algorithms trained only with real images. In their paper the researchers say: “Data diversity is critical to success in training deep learning models. Medical imaging data sets are often unbalanced because pathological findings are generally rare, which poses quite a few challenges when training deep learning models. We propose a method to generate synthetic MRI images of brain tumors by training a GAN. This provides an automatable, low-cost source of diverse data that can be used to complement the training set.” Because the images are generated synthetically, you no longer have to deal with privacy or patient data challenges. The generated data can be easily shared with different medical institutions, creating an endless variety of combinations that can be used to improve and speed up the work. The team hopes the model will help scientists generate new data that can be used to detect anomalies more quickly and accurately.
The dangers of deepfakes
As exciting and promising as deepfake technology may be, these developments also pose several serious challenges. The most important of these is the distribution of pornographic material featuring persons who have not given their consent. And according to a DeepTrace report, a whopping 96 percent of the deepfakes currently found online are made up of this type of material. There have also been several reports of deepfake audio being used for identity theft and extortion. The use of deepfakes potentially poses a huge security and political destabilization risk, as the technology can be used to spread fake news and lead to an increase in cybercrime, revenge porn, harassment, abuse and (fake) scandals. There is also a good chance that video images and audio files will soon no longer be allowed to be used as evidence in court, as they will become almost indistinguishable from the real thing. according to Brookings Institution, the social and political dangers of deepfakes include “disrupting democratic discourse; rigging elections; decreased trust in institutions; declining journalistic quality; exacerbation of social divisions; undermining public security; and inflicting hard-to-repair damage to the reputation of prominent individuals.” Deepfakes can also cause serious financial problems. Some examples include a British energy company that was tricked into making a $243 million fraudulent wire transfer and an audio deepfake used to defraud a US CEO out of $10 million. And here are some more important examples of the dangers of deepfakes.
New Year’s video speech leads to attempted military coup poging
The fact that more and more – and increasingly sophisticated – deepfakes are circulating on the internet can mean that any video that seems slightly outlandish can cause chaos. An example is the New Year video speech by Gabon’s President Ali Bongo in 2019. The president had not been seen in public for several months and the lack of answers from the government led to more and more speculation and doubt. The video subsequently caused growing suspicion among people in Gabon and international observers about the president’s well-being. Although the purpose of the video was to speculation about the poor health of the president of the world to help this plan failed because Bongo’s opponents were not convinced of the video’s authenticity. The opposition believed there was something odd about the president’s locomotion in the video footage. A week after the video’s release, Gabon’s military called for a coup d’état, which ultimately failed. Hany Farid, a computer science professor who specializes in digital forensics, said: “I just watched several other videos of President Bongo and they don’t resemble the speech patterns in this video, and even his appearance doesn’t look the same” . Farid added that he could not give a definitive assessment but that he felt “something was not right”.
Deepfakes as blackmail material for cheerleaders
A Pennsylvania woman was recently arrested for creating deepfakes of underage cheerleaders. The victims were her daughter’s rivals for the local cheerleading squad. With the fake images, the 50-year-old mother tried to put the girls in a bad light. Using photos and videos that the teens had shared on social media, the woman created fake photos and videos, in which it appeared that the girls were drinking alcohol and taking drugs naked. The woman then sent these deepfakes to the coaches to get the teens disqualified. The fake material was also sent to the girls themselves with a message urging them to commit suicide. According to the American media, the daughter herself would not have known about her mother’s actions. The mother is being charged with cyber abuse and related crimes. With regard to the first victim says Matt Weintraub, DA of Bucks County: “The suspect edited a real photo with some photoshop app to make it look like this teenage girl had no clothes on. But it was a social media screenshot showing the teen wearing swimsuits.”
Deepfake bots on Telegram create nude photos of women and children
Last year, more than 100,000 fake nude photos were generated by an ecosystem of bots at the request of Telegram users . The foundation of this ecosystem is an AI-powered bot that allows users to “strip” the clothing of images of women so that they appear naked. according to a report from the visual threat intelligence firm Sensity, “most of the original images appeared to have come from social media pages or directly from private communications, which the individuals in question probably didn’t know were being targeted. While this case mostly involved individuals, we also identified a significant number of social media influencers, game streamers and celebrities in the entertainment industry. In addition, a limited number of images appeared to be underage, suggesting that some were primarily using the bot to generate and distribute pedophile content.” The deepfakes have been shared on various social media platforms with the aim of public shaming, revenge or extortion. Most deepfake bots use DeepNude technology, but we see more and more similar apps popping up on the internet. All you have to do is upload a photo and then you’ll get a manipulated image back in minutes. Unfortunately, since Telegram uses encrypted messages, users can easily create anonymous accounts that are virtually impossible to trace. And while encryption technology is meant to protect users’ privacy and evade surveillance, it’s not hard to see how you can use these features for shady ends as well. Unfortunately, users can easily create anonymous accounts that are virtually impossible to trace. And while encryption technology is meant to protect users’ privacy and evade surveillance, it’s not hard to see how you can use these features for shady ends as well. Unfortunately, users can easily create anonymous accounts that are virtually impossible to trace. And while encryption technology is meant to protect users’ privacy and evade surveillance, it’s not hard to see how you can use these features for shady ends as well.
What can we do to distinguish fake from real?
As it stands, the number of deepfake videos circulating online has increased at an astonishingly estimated 900 percent annual rate. As technological advances have made it increasingly easy to produce deepfake content, more and more experts are wondering how we can curb the malicious use of this technology. One of the ways to do this – as in the case of cybercrime and phishing – is to raise public awareness and educate people about the dangers of deepfakes. Many companies have now launched technologies to recognize fake content, prevent its distribution or verify authentic content through blockchain or watermarks. However, the downside is that these detection and authentication methods can also be used by those same malicious actors to create even more convincing deepfakes. Here are some examples of technologies that have been developed to combat the misuse of deepfakes.
Deepfake policies of social media platforms
Social networks play the most important role in preventing deepfakes from being used for malicious purposes. Deepfakes are currently seen by social media platforms as any other content that is misleading or could lead to people being duped or otherwise disadvantaged. The policy of Instagram and Facebook for example to ‘manipulated media removal, excluding parodies. YouTube bans manipulated content that is misleading or poses serious risks, and TikTok removes “digital counterfeits” — including false health information — that are misleading and can cause harm. Reddit removes content that deceptively or deceptively impersonates people or entities, but makes an exception for satire and parody. However, as the number and quality of deepfakes continue to increase, it is unclear how social networks will be able to maintain these policies in the future. One thing they could do is automatically label deepfakes, whether or not they are harmful, so that at least more awareness is created.
Spotting super realistic deepfake images
Researchers at the University of Buffalo have developed an ingenious new tool that allows them to spot super-realistic deepfakes. In their paper tell the researchers about the method they have developed to distinguish authentic images from images generated by deepfake technology. They do this by carefully studying the eyes of the person in the picture. What the researchers found is that the reflections in both eyes of the person in an authentic photo due to the same lighting conditions are usually identical. With manipulated images, however, this is usually not the case. The tool has so far succeeded in recognizing images generated by deepfake technology in 94 percent of the cases. Incidentally, the tool is most accurate with photos taken with the portrait setting, which is often the case with close-up portrait photos.
Real attendance guarantee
In the fight against the abuse of deepfakes, it is critical that you can verify that the person you think you are dealing with online is actually real – and this can be done with iProov Genuine Presence Assurance. The iProov system uses biometric scans that can identify whether the person in question is indeed a living person and not a photo, video, mask, deepfake or other method to circumvent a (biometric) security system. The system works on mobile devices, computers or in unattended kiosks and is used by organizations around the world, such as the National Health Service (NHS) in the UK. The NHS has opted for iProov biometric facial authenticationto improve users’ onboarding experience. Thanks to iProov’s Flashmark facial authentication technology, remote users can securely log into the NHS app to make appointments, access medical records and request repeat prescriptions. The process consists of submitting an ID photo and positioning the face on the screen. After a short series of flashes, the user’s identity is verified and he or she can use the NHS app.
Deepfake Antivirus
Sensity, an Amsterdam-based company developing deep learning technologies for monitoring and detecting deepfakes, has developed a visual threat intelligence platform that applies the same deep learning processes used in creating deepfakes. The system combines deepfake detection with advanced video forensic analysis and monitoring capabilities. The platform is a kind of antivirus for deepfakes and monitors more than 500 sources on the open and dark web where the chance of finding malicious deepfakes is high. It warns users when they view anything that may be AI-generated synthetic content and provides detailed ratings and threat analysis. When you upload URLs or your own photo and video files, Sensity analyzes them to get the latest, detect AI-based media manipulation and synthesis techniques, including fake human faces in social media profiles, dating apps or online financial services accounts. Sensity also provides access to the world’s most comprehensive deepfake database and other visual media targeting public figures, including insights into the sectors and countries most affected by this technology.
The future of fake – and other considerations
Pandora’s box has been opened and it seems that the race between creating deepfakes and detecting and preventing them will intensify in the future. Deepfake technology is becoming more and more accessible and it is becoming easier for ‘the average person’ to create deepfakes themselves. In addition, it is also becoming increasingly difficult to distinguish deepfake content from authentic content. Deepfakes will continue to evolve and spread. And challenges like the lack of detail in the synthesis will no doubt be overcome in the short term. Furthermore, improvements in neural network structures and advances in hardware are expected to significantly reduce training and delivery times. There are already new algorithms that can generate increasingly realistic – and almost real-time – outputs.
And while the use of deepfakes for good is rapidly increasing in industries such as entertainment, news and education, these developments will simultaneously lead to even more serious threats. Think of increasing crime, the dissemination of fake information, synthetic identity fraud, election manipulation and political tensions. Another aspect to consider is that deepfakes also have a very negative impact on our freedom of choice and identity. Using a photo you can actually make someone do all kinds of things – which in reality never happened at all – without anyone’s permission or even knowing anything about it.
It is clear that the misguided, deceptive use of deepfake technology needs to be curbed and tech experts, journalists and policy makers will play a crucial role in this. They are the right people to inform the public about the possibilities and dangers of synthetic media such as deepfakes. And if we teach ourselves to only trust content from solid, verified sources, we may discover that the good use of deepfakes outweighs the bad. With greater public awareness, we can mitigate the negative impact of deepfakes, find ways to deal with them, and in the future even see that we can also take advantage of the possibilities of deepfake technology.
Since the corona pandemic, countless headlines have used some variation of the phrases “go back to the new normal” and “everything must change.” But what exactly needs to change? Let me make an effort to shape the “new normal”.
The global pandemic has shed light on major domestic and international weaknesses. It also exposed some of the myths and fallacies used to explain the world until now. Changes that were already happening have gathered momentum, happening in a matter of months that might otherwise take decades.
Not every change should be a cause for concern. Now is the time for the current and next generation of leaders to make their mark and take their chance to correct these mistakes and enable a real reset.
The pandemic has highlighted the need to question our assumptions and our understanding. We need to change what is clearly out of step with our time and the future we want, in the face of various existential threats. Here are ten broad domains to consider.
1. Transformation of the business world
Before the pandemic, global businesses seemed to be incredibly resilient. Interconnectivity had to ensure that a problem in one place would simply move supply chains elsewhere, and that the consumer would never notice the difference. The goods would remain on store shelves (or, increasingly, on e-commerce sites), without the customer knowing what is going on behind the scenes.
But the pandemic, a truly global shock, exposed the vulnerability of the global economy and its networks. Rather than bolster resilience, an interconnected economy amplified the domino effect – spreading economic pain and disruption around the world as companies began laying off workers.
Governments cannot prevent another global shock, but they can make sure that companies are ready to meet their obligations to society. This starts with the employees, the basis of the social contract between business and society. Policymakers need to think about how to shape business incentives to build resilience.
2. A Monetary Policy for the Common Good
To respond to the economic pain and disruption of the pandemic and related public health measures, governments are distributing record-size aid packages totaling billions of dollars. Before the pandemic, governments were skeptical about spending too much money. The question ‘but how do you pay for this?’ was common in discussing large-scale public programs in both the legislature and the media.
The pandemic has torpedoed these beliefs. As governments tap into reserves to release government spending, they could invest in necessary infrastructure, pay for the public supply of basic needs and services, and invest in research and development to prepare society for future challenges.
For example, offering low-cost housing would provide security for low-income families and the necessary resources to invest in themselves. From starting their own business to improving their health, it would be a long-term investment in increasing the ability of more segments of the population to contribute to society.
3. Reinventing Growth
Before the pandemic, governments relied on continued growth for political legitimacy. Economic growth is an indication of success. It is common for emerging economies to choose a ‘growth target’: either a targeted growth rate for the year or a targeted economic size for a specific period.
The world must refrain from growth as an end in itself. Continuous growth forces society to consume more and more resources. As a result, economic policy has been distorted. The emphasis is on accounting tricks and investment tricks rather than real economic development and progress.
Instead, governments in both emerging and advanced economies must remember what growth is for: improving the living standards of an entire population, not just segments of society.
If countries forego economic growth as a measure, they will need more meaningful metrics to guide them. Perhaps a combination of employment, access to basic needs, sustainability goals and investments aimed at the future can provide a solution.
4. Giving up the Invisible Hand of the Market
As the pandemic spread, consumers faced shortages of essential products: mouth masks, hand cleansers, household cleaners, toilet paper and frozen products. Hospitals and doctors were short of medical facilities and personal protective equipment.
The pandemic has shown that the market is unable to reply quickly to major crises. However countries with robust governments were able to mobilize the personal sector and focus it on what’s required for society. For instance, China distended its production of masks and medical instrumentality and South Korea was able to drastically expand its testing capability. The personal sector wants steering, support and, maybe most significantly, a bonded buyer: things the general public sector might offer. Society should regain management of the market and also the personal sector and make sure that they’re targeted on the commonweal. Firms have a license to control, however once firms violate that notion, societies should make sure that the personal sector behaves responsibly.
5. Withdrawing FREE rein for the GIG Economy
The tensions of the so-called gig economy began to show up before the pandemic, with heavy workloads and tight courier schedules. Platforms set strict operational guidelines, penalizing any play in the system. Still, these platforms are attracting funding based on their scalability, so that the cost of their model is offset by the employees and the rest of society. Despite their shortcomings, these platforms do succeed in what they aim for: connecting providers and customers. A platform that allows a provider – be it a restaurant, handyman, driver, artist or small business – to deliver goods and services more efficiently to a customer would be a real asset to small and medium-sized companies that do not have the resources to create a tailor-made solution. Governments need to look at which platforms are successful and why, and then try to support alternatives that do not depend on the scale-obsessed model of technical financing.
6. Valuing work that is Essential
Many countries resorted to stay-at-home orders, with the aim of stopping the transmission of viruses in the community and avoiding an overload on the health system. Workplaces and schools were closed, shops and restaurants were closed. Businesses and entire industries – air travel, tourism, live entertainment – came to a halt. But not everyone could stay at home. The pandemic introduced the term “ essential worker ” into our lexicon: it includes not only health workers and those providing other essential public services, but also delivery workers, cleaners, supermarket employees, agricultural workers and factory workers who pack food. These jobs are often underpaid, but the pandemic has highlighted the social value of these jobs. Just as governments need to rethink the goods that are strategically essential to an economy in crisis, they also need to rethink what labor is truly essential. They must ensure that those who work in these positions are properly compensated and protected.
7. Reformation of Development Priorities
The economic story of the past two decades revolves around digital possibilities and the internet. Development priorities have shifted to accommodate the rise of the Internet and to deepen the introduction of smartphones. This was despite the lack of any real evidence that this was what people really want. Underinvestment in infrastructure that would have helped combat this current pandemic and mitigate the risk of the next crisis: clean water, better nutrition, better sanitation and a broader public health infrastructure. Basic services are not the only development priority that has been ignored. Millions of people in the world still lack safe and secure housing, stable access to electricity or important public services such as education. Society must curb the use of development or public money for digital technology unless an independent body – and not one dominated by technology companies – can demonstrate convincingly why this would improve development outcomes.
8. Rebuilding the Collapsed Food System
The pandemic has given rise to two very different stories about the food industry. On the one hand, empty shelves and panicking shoppers; on the other, concerned farmers who dump surplus produce. Our food systems are proving fundamentally unstable: the need for migrant workers who are blocked by closed borders, the bottlenecks in factories and ports and the dependence on a few large institutional consumers. The pandemic also reveals the dangers of long-term social food choices. Poor nutrition due to the global proliferation of junk food has led to an increase in the number of non-communicable diseases, which also contribute to how infectious diseases are perceived. Governments will have to radically rethink how we approach food systems. First, governments need to develop better systems for distributing food, especially in poorer communities with few options. Second, governments must ensure that groceries have adequate supplies of essential goods. Finally, governments must invest in local food production, especially in basic products.
9. Start of a Guided Retreat from Nature
A silver lining to people’s retreating indoors is the restoration of the environment, from the return of wildlife to public spaces to better air quality. In many countries, environmental damage was presented as a necessary consequence of growth – a kind of collateral damage to a greater good. But restoring the environment and regenerating wildlife during lockdowns is proof that nature is more resilient. The decline is not irreversible. So we can and must invest in large-scale restoration, repair and conservation. Governments should see this as an encouragement to be bolder in their environmental strategies. Can air pollution not be minimized, but eradicated? What about solid waste? Can we limit the expansion of the suburbs and expand the nature reserves? Society can begin to restore certain areas by drastically limiting human activity and scaling back the expansion of human habitation. If the pandemic is any indication, we could be seeing its natural benefits sooner than we think.
10. Geopolitics Beyond Western Domination
The world’s failed response to the pandemic will affect international relations. Asia has rapidly tightened controls and contained the outbreak. The response from China, Japan, South Korea, Vietnam, Singapore and Taiwan contrasted sharply with that of Europe and America. The soft power of the West has also been significantly damaged by the pandemic.
Far from being China’s ‘Chernobyl’, as The Financial Times suggested when the disease first emerged, Asian governments have been quick and decisive in their response to contain the pandemic. With Europe and the United States deeply divided and struggling to control the pandemic, this has raised serious concerns about the governance system in the West.
A Post-Pandemic World will be one of many different powers:
China, India, Russia, Europe, Africa, Brazil and the United States. Tensions will exist between these different countries and the limits of their influence will be disputed. But there are also important global problems that can only be solved through close cooperation between them.
If there is one thing the COVID-19 pandemic taught us, it is that the old assumptions no longer hold. Countries, companies and individuals must adapt to the new normal that is imminent. Countries must deal with other powers, even those over which they have serious disagreements. Otherwise, global problems will remain unsolved and global society will suffer.
The COVID-19 pandemic shows that the global system falls flat on its face when faced with a global problem. Businesses must deal with the new realities for resilience in the interconnected economy, and what growth means in an increasingly digital world.
As much as we all yearn to return to pre-pandemic life, individuals must adapt to a life that has more limitations on what we can do, and most importantly, in harmony with nature.
The leaders in particular must leave their mark and seize the opportunity to correct the mistakes of the past and enable a real reset.
The covid-19 pandemic offers opportunities worldwide to do better, once the clouds have cleared. So do tons of people like me and you think everyday. Many dogmas have already flew out the window in recent months, many others may follow.
There are the seeds of hope, there is the massive challenge to shape a new world soon. But there is more that connects the members of the new resistance: they are constructive, creative and rightly impudent. People who resist demand respect for democracy and try to force change both inside and outside systems and organizations. The new resistance has new faces, but is based on a rich history and a strong civil society that is too often under attack.
The new resistance is badly needed now and as soon as COVID-19 is under control, or something like it. The recovery of our societies, of our economies, of our cities, of people will not go smoothly. We applaud, perhaps too soon, the prospect of a vaccine and new freedom. But practical objections, mistrust and a neoliberal roadmap stand in the way of a smooth global vaccination.
At the same time, the pandemic offers opportunities to do better when the clouds clear. Opportunities not to let those few annual percentage points of growth in gross national product get in the way of people and their needs too often.
Many dogmas have already flew out the window in recent months, many others may follow. Massive investments were smoothly planned to keep the economy going. I saw it was okay, though there was no other option. But how well prepared are we for a historic recovery with leaders in many places who are making the lives of countless others more difficult or nearly impossible just now?
It is sometimes a challenge not to become cynical. I look around and see that too many strings of the recovery are in the hands of people who usually did not care about the consequences of the corona crisis for the most vulnerable. I look in the mirror, but I also address you. Look elsewhere, avert your gaze and look for weeds and naturalists, people kicking shins and reminding us that, every day, we determine the future together.
You will not find inner peace in the offer at Albert Heijn. It is not something that just comes your way, it is something you have to work on yourself.
Are you constantly restless? Have you had enough of that turmoil in your head and in your life? You cannot download inner peace for a moment, but everyone – without exception – can find inner peace if you want it enough.
If your inner peace is important enough, then you put many things aside to experience and enjoy that peace.
Personally, I find inner peace the most important thing in my life. Everything will be fine with inner peace. Almost nothing makes sense without inner peace!
I only found it when I was in my mid thirties.
Only then did I realize: “Ah, this is what I was always looking for!”
Inner peace begins with insight into yourself and what you really want in your life.
In this article you will find SEVEN tips for more peace in your life.
What is inner peace?
Inner peace is the feeling of calmness in yourself. It is the feeling that you are at peace with who you are and what you do.
They call it comfortable in your skin down , calm radiate or live from your heart . You usually see who has it and who doesn’t. Inner peace is – in my opinion – the ultimate goal of everyone. We all look for it in our own way.
Here are some tips to get you started:
1. Accept yourself.
More peace in your life starts with inner peace. The core of inner peace is self-acceptance.
Why?
Because the biggest fight in our lives is the fight against ourselves.
We believe that we must be perfect and make the most of our efforts. Unfortunately, life doesn’t work that way. So there is a big difference between our ideal image and how we really are. That struggle creates unrest.
How can you be calm when fighting yourself? You can’t do that.
Some people think that the solution lies in doing your best even harder . Just reprogram yourself, switch on the turbo and tjakka: You will solve another human problem! But that is only short-lived.
In the end there is only one solution – have peace with who you are.
No inner peace without self-acceptance.
2. Let go of your past.
Much unrest is caused by two thoughts about the past: “That should never have happened” and “I should have done it differently .”
Do you want to drive yourself crazy? Then go over and worry about that!
Do you want inner peace? Then realize that those thoughts don’t give you anything. It happened and you did it that way. That is it and not different.
You do not get inner peace by denying reality. You actually get inner peace in your life through acceptance of reality.
I myself am very bad at worrying about the past. As soon as I start, I immediately think: “That has happened and I can never change.” Then all the stories about what things should have been like, and that also stops the stress.
Because most of the stress comes from the stories we tell ourselves …
3. Postpone the future.
The future is uncertain: “What will happen? How would I respond? What if this happens to me? How do I deal with that? “
How can you stay calm if you try to control something that hasn’t happened at all?
As if you could make a monkey on Borneo dance the lambada next Thursday by thinking very hard NOW – exactly the same! You just can’t do that …
Tiring isn’t it? Thinking about the future always makes you restless, because it is just as elusive as the average monkey.
My suggestion: postpone the future until it actually happens.
And if you are on Borneo next Thursday and happen to meet a monkey who also wants to learn the lambada – well, then it’s your moment!
4. Relate your thoughts.
The more seriously you take all your thoughts, the more unrest you experience. Our thoughts are often critical, negative and worrying.
We fantasize about it and then think it’s the truth.
If you believe everything you think, you are lost. Only when you examine your thoughts – are they actually correct? – find your way back again.
The better you learn to distinguish fantasy from reality, the more you experience inner peace.
For example, I fantasize that everyone thinks this article is great , that I win a prize with it and that I am named Coach of the Year! But don’t I take myself (and my thoughts) too seriously? Fortunately I don’t believe everything I think …
5. Follow your own way.
Nothing creates more resistance than doing things that don’t suit you.
In essence you have two choices: whether you do what you want – or you do n’t do it . Either you do what you want – or you do what your others want. More inner peace in your life is always an extension of your own path .
Only your own vision, your own way, your own choices gives you the peace that you are looking for so hard.
The realization that you do what suits you is so valuable!
It is not for sale, nor can anyone ever give it to you. It is the decision to make that you feel comfortable with.
Every other choice gives you inner resistance. If your feeling says, “I want something else,” that’s exactly what you have to do! Only then do you listen to your feelings and only then do you get peace …
6. Make space in your life.
It’s hard to have room in your head when the rest of your life is packed: If you run from appointment to appointment, if your house is one big mess, if your ambition is greater than your daily list of tasks.
Make space in your life in all these areas and you automatically get more peace in your head.
Wanting to do everything is a scenario for frustration. Everyone wants to plea, want to appear everywhere, always want to be reachable: it is not going to bring you peace.
Say no more often to things that cause unrest. Hey, you can always say yes later, but usually the other way around! Better to do a few things well than half everything. Time management does not give you rest, but your limits indicate it.
7. Have preferences, but no requirements.
Read the following two wishes:
The first is: “I want a great relationship that makes me feel good.”
The second is: “I want a relationship with a woman between 31 and 32, with dark red hair. She has to be able to cook Caribbean, just like I love cross-country travel, scrabble well, weigh up to 74 kilos, work in maternity care and live in a nice location. ”
Who do you think finds what he is looking for earlier?
Claiming something is also a recipe for frustration, because sometimes life does not give us what we want. You get more peace in your life by fighting less against life …
Sometimes life gives us what we need , sometimes what we don’t want , sometimes what we have never thought of .
But it rarely gives us what we demand …
Lower your expectations and be thankful for everything that comes your way. You can learn something from every situation. The less you demand how things should be, the more you accept how they really are.
Well lets investigate our brains a smidgen to answer this inquiry.
For these next inquiries, I require you to be amazingly fair with yourself. No compelling reason to lie, nobody else yet you will know the appropriate responses.
1) Would you say you are reluctant to come up short your arrangement?
2) Do you routinely prepare?
3) Does your plans include All that you at any point needed?
4) Do you prepare in view of your business and family?
5) Do you imagine your arrangement being accomplished?
6) ** How a long ways ahead do you really design???
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That wasn’t so terrible would it say it was???
It’s essential to dependably put forth these inquiries. Doing as such will at last lay out what it is that you need in life. Business and Family ought to dependably be viewed as together.
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So we should investigate why every one of these inquiries help you to figure out what it is in life and how it will influence you until the end of time…
1) Would you say you are hesitant to come up short your arrangement?
Beating The Disappointment Blues:
Disappointment… ooooooo nobody needs to come up short. Tragically for a considerable lot of us, we tend consider fizzling when we work out our strategies for success. The reason we do this is on the grounds that we’ve all fizzled at something some time recently. All that we do begins with an arrangement. Most day by day designs are sub-intentionally arranged out before they are executed. This procedure just takes a small amount of a moment. The ones we have a tendency to recollect are plans that we’ve “intentionally” made. The greater part of these are thoughts we’ve never completed, and extends that never at any point got a change to begin.
They key to beating the “disappointment blues” is basically to prepare your brain to picture all that you need from your plans. Review something you need ought to dependably look like a film cut full with: tangible rich pictures, alongside sounds, smells, and feeling of touch. This mix is the thing that make perception a win. This is genuine in light of the fact that our brains think in pictures. Picturing your plans deliberately will better help your sub-cognizant personality to recall what it is that you need to achieve. This likewise tells your sub-cognizant personality you genuine about this one.
1) Do you consistently prepare?
Go ahead, be straightforward, do you really stay there and make a decent endeavor to design out your future, each and every day? NO? For what reason not? Is it not that vital to you?
Neglecting to design is the same as wanting to fall flat!
Arranging regular may appear like a great deal of work to do however in real reality, once it turns into a propensity, it turns out to be second nature.
Study demonstrates that it takes a normal of 21 times for a comment a propensity. For instance, once you’ve driven your auto 21 times +/ – it ends up noticeably second nature to you. Your sub-cognizant personality assumes control and drives for you
Your “cognizant personality” is the skipper of your ship (the cerebrum). In the event that you don’t deliberately make an immediate order to your “sub-cognizant” (the team), nothing will ever complete. You should be strict with the team for 21 days to ensure they will do their obligations regularly. After time, the group will consequently know their own particular undertaking by heart and complete them for you.
Arranging out regular will better characterize to your “Group” what it is they are required to fulfill. It assembles solidarity inside your psyche. This solidarity will eventually be the organizing point to achieving your objectives.
2) Does your plans include all that you needed?
When I say everything, I mean the world. I have this little extraordinary scratch pad that stays around my work area constantly. Inside it are incalculable thoughts of all that I at any point needed at that exact second.
At that exact instant significance, whatever it was that I needed to have in my life “right then and there” that would make me more joyful. Doesn’t make a difference what it is. For you, precisely what at this moment would make you glad? A more pleasant auto? $5,000 in your ledger? More customers? Better internet searcher positions?
Composing precisely what it is that you need will give your psyche a “Plan for the day”. Once your brain has its “Daily agenda”, your sub-cognizant will scan through your memory banks for a case of how to fulfill your “daily agenda”. On the off chance that your psyche doesn’t discover anything inside your memory banks, it will in the long run begin shooting out thoughts and tips for your cognizant personality to finish.
I ought to likewise take note of that recording something resembles scratching it directly into stone with regards to your brain. It resembles your psyche is the bit of paper, you have to record something with the end goal for it to return later and change what it is that you recorded.
3) Do you prepare for your business and family?
Well is there any good reason why you wouldn’t? When I consider my business, I consider what it will improve the situation me, my companions, and my family later on. Right now, I am presently not hitched nor do I have any youngsters but rather that doesn’t imply that I am not pondering the future with a family in it.
Continuously consider business and family the same. They are a both piece of yours and the their future.
4) Do you imagine your arrangement being accomplished?
Perception is the product of progress.
Do you ever wind up picturing yourself in that auto you generally needed? Who envisions you and your family on some shoreline in Mexico some place? Who pictures you winning the “business person of the year grant”? … .YOU DO!
Keeping in mind the end goal to be more joyful and more fruitful, you have to show signs of improvement, you have to improve. I rehash, you have to show signs of improvement.
Representation ought to be a day by day occasion. Pause for a minute regular, notwithstanding for 30 seconds and imagine every one of the sights, sounds, odors, and sentiments of everything required with your day by day designs.
For instance, lets imagine that you have an introduction to do and like a great many people who have done an introduction, you are to a great degree apprehensive.
Pause for a minute around a hour prior to the introduction. Envision yourself strolling into the meeting feeling extraordinary, sure, and loose. Hear the general population having a decent time, see them grinning and focusing on you. Endeavor to notice a decent cologne inside the room that influences you to grin when taken in. To wrap things up, see every one of the general population around you complimenting you on an occupation well done after the introduction. See yourself having a pleasant, warm, rich tasting espresso while talking about your effective introduction with your supervisor, workers or even your potential customers.
I promise you that in the event that you make it a propensity to set yourself up with representation in that mold before any introduction, you will have better, more lively sentiments thereafter.
This exceptionally same procedure applies for your objectives. You should see yourself driving that auto, the way the air feels in your hair, perhaps the way the motor sounds. Whatever you can think about that will give your mind a chance to meander into your objectives and dreams, utilize it!
5) ** How a long ways ahead do you really design???
This is by a long shot the most essential. The most critical simply because it takes a little from all the above inquiries I’ve discussed.
What is the uttermost you’ve at any point prepared? I’ll put cash on the way that it’s not sufficiently far. Set out to be striking, be solid in your feelings. Try not to be reluctant to consider unheard of options.
So how far do I enable myself to prepare??? 200 Years!
No joke, my objectives have incorporated a timetable of around 231 years ahead later on. See I don’t just consider how I need to enhance my life, I focus on an option that is higher than life. I focus on my family history that is yet to be composed. We as a whole might want to leave a family dinesty to our future relatives. All things considered, for what reason aren’t you preparing for it???
Try not to be timid, apprehensive, questionable or humiliated, do what needs to be done. Continue doing it inside your scratch pad that you write in. Continue pondering your kids, their youngsters, your incredible, extraordinary, awesome great kids to be.
Consider them. Wouldn’t it be decent in the event that they could think back and say goodness, my extraordinary, awesome, incredible granddad had the vision, the devotion and the will to consider me. Think about the effect you could have on those to be. Indeed, even go the extent that written work a letter to the people will’s identity in your families future. Reveal to them what you have arranged and why.
Imagine a scenario where what you do now, influences somebody 4 eras down the line in such a positive path, to the point that they want to get were you left off. If not for your vision, it would of never happened.
Even better, it hasn’t happened yet, so you should get that pen and begin your future right now, this exact second.
On that note, I won’t shield you from composing your future.
Good fortunes and make sure to witness everything the way you need it to happen!
