Today’s Notes from the Field are a little bit different.
As you’ll notice instead of Bahia, this letter is coming to you from Dubai, UAE. And, is pinned by a Sovereign Woman.
Hi, I’m Viktorija, for those who don’t know me yet, I’ve been with Sovereign Man for the majority of its existence, working behind the scenes most of the time.
I’ve traveled to about 100 countries around the world, and I am working on eventually beating Simon’s record of 122.
While most of the world seems to be on lockdown, I wanted to share some travel stories with you.
And before you ask– yes, traveling is definitely possible during this time. And frankly it’s been pretty enjoyable.
Once I turned off the news went outside, the first thing I noticed was that life is pretty much back to normal in many parts of the world.
I had the pleasure of spending the peak of the Covid-19 lockdown phase in Puerto Rico and after that I traveled to Chile, then to Europe, and now in Dubai.
The range of government restrictions in these places has been remarkable.
In Puerto Rico where I spent time with Simon at his home, life was normal-ish.
As Simon likes to say, Puerto Ricans don’t have much regard for their government, so most people have openly defied government rules about lockdowns, and most of those rules have loosened up anyhow.
Chile was the total opposite.
When I was there last month, the Chilean government had kept people in total lockdown. Chileans were allowed to leave their homes only twice each week, and they had to apply online for a special permit to do so.
From there I went to Europe where the situation is a lot more sensible. And from what I’ve seen, it all comes down to attitude.
In a lot of places (like parts of the US, Latin America, etc.) there are people who are terrified of Covid. And they believe the solution is to wait.
They think that if they sit in their homes and wait long enough, the virus will eventually die off and life go back to the way things used to be.
In Europe (and here in Dubai), people seem to have a longer term view.
They understand that Covid-19 is here to stay.
Even if a vaccine is developed, it will take YEARS before it’s properly tested, with billions of units manufactured and distributed around the world.
The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness has been marshaling manufacturing capacity worldwide in preparation to mass produce a Covid-19 vaccine.
But even their estimates are to be able to produce 2 billion vaccines by the end of next year.
That’s only 25% of the world’s population, and it’s still more than a year away. Wider adoption is going to take several more years.
So what’s the solution in the meantime– lock down every house, school, business, and church in the world? Cancel every performance and sporting event? Print infinite quantities of money to pay people to NOT work?
There will be no economy left. People will suffer from depression, and suicide rates will soar.
But this doesn’t have to be all gloom and doom.
And my travels have shown me that there are plenty of countries in the world who have a much saner, longer-term view.
Governments, businesses and people understand that they need to continue living their lives, and that means making certain adjustments.
For instance, when coming to Dubai, I had a Covid test done before boarding the plane.
Plus I had to have a travel insurance policy that would cover expenses in cases I get tested positive and needed medical care.
Hotels, restaurants and malls have all made necessary adjustments, making sure people are able to keep a reasonable distance from one another while still maintaining a happy, social vibe.
When I was in Lithuania recently, the municipal government of the capital city (Vilnius) opened up outdoor public spaces to bars and restaurants so that they could operate at maximum capacity while still giving patrons appropriate distance.
Airports and planes are cleaner than ever before, and people are actually more mindful about the space around them. It’s honestly been a real pleasure to travel right now.
Obviously I’m always careful and very mindful of my own health, and that of others around me. I’ve even had multiple Covid-19 tests to make sure I can safely visit my mother.
With all of that being said, once you turn the news off and expand your horizons, you’ll quickly realize that there is still normal, vibrant life out there.
As Simon has written extensively over the last few months, the world is not coming to an end. It’s definitely changing rapidly.
At Sovereign Man we prefer to have a positive perspective and a position of strength.
We want to be prepared for obvious risks, but also to take advantage of the abundance of opportunity that the world has to offer… especially at a time when most people are consumed with fear and hysteria.
