FROM ‘ME’ TO ‘RE’
For the last decade and beyond, many affluent Americans have enjoyed a quality of life that has allowed us to focus on “the finer things.” The “ME” in us has been treated extremely well. Takeout sushi. Travel ball. Dry-aged $50 steaks. Country club galas. Fine wine. Boats bigger than 2-bedroom apartments. Souped-up golf carts. Elite academies. SUVs on steroids. The evidence is clear. Taking care of ME has reigned supreme.
Fast forward from the end of January to today. Thousands of lives lost. Hundreds of thousands of small businesses on the brink. Healthcare professionals, grocery workers, delivery folks, food producers and so many others living a daily life of Russian roulette. Unemployment exploding. An elderly population on the ropes. Senior years crushed. Nonprofits on the verge of collapse. IRAs decimated. I could go on.
Am I in the minority who now believe that we may want to take what we’ve learned through this pandemic and transition our collective lives from ME to RE? Is this the time that we REaffirm what a life well-lived means? Should we REflect upon the way we had been approaching our day-to-day existence as the first step in REprioritizing and REadjusting our lifestyles? Shouldn’t we commit to REmembering how quickly everything we have deemed important is capable of evaporating overnight? Should we consider REestablishing the long standing traditions we have accidentally REdiscovered like family dinners, bike rides, long walks and game nights?
Should we REconsider accepting the runaway travel and practice requirements currently associated with club sports? Would we be better trying to REfocus some of our energies on ensuring that our children will live in a healthy, fairer world? Should REminding our kids of what’s most important be better woven into the way we parent?
Should we finally consider REwarding those we’ve taken for granted for so long... starting with our teachers and working quickly from there? Should we make REspect for our environment a personal priority?
Should we REconsider old grudges and work to REkindle previously fractured relationships?
Should we REmind ourselves more often that, if we are so fortunate, we will be among the more at-risk elderly one day?
Should we commit to holding each other REsponsible for ensuring that every human being be treated with REspect??
Are we capable of REjecting the temptation of quickly going back to what was the status quo? No, I am not advocating that we blow up life as we knew it. I am not for trading our economy for that of Venezuela. I've written this in hopes it might help, just a little, in motivating us to REthink before jumping completely back into yesterday as soon as 'shelter-in-place' is in our personal and collective rearview mirror.
Are there any meaningful lessons we can learn from all that has been foisted upon us? Can we consider giving up a little ME for a greater portion of RE? The good news is that transformation can start with each of us, one family at a time, one business at a time. It REally can.
Peter Ricciardi is a Daniel Island resident and a consultant offering services in blogging, direct mail marketing, content marketing and strategy, and brand marketing.