What is the workforce going to look like after COVID-19? Is that even a good question to ask? How will the COVID-19 impact change the shape of the workplace for those who are graduating from school this summer? Those who are at the end of their careers? Or those who are at the apex of their professions. Did the path get longer? What even is the path?
In the end, it was never about the destination, "retirement," but always about the journey. We celebrate an individual's induction to the Hall of Fame. Still, we are only validating they embarked on the necessary Hero's Journey to reach that pinnacle, to get to the top of Mount Olympus, where the company is scarce, but heroism is profound. Hero shares a commonality in understanding they must create their paths, and everyone's way is different. If they follow a path already paved, it is a sure sign they will not reach their destination. All paths share trials and tribulations, and although they may look the same, they are vastly different.
This new Dragon that we must slay is stronger than the usual seasonal Dragon and may take us several years to slay, and we may never truly slay this Dragon, but only tame it. Leaving the possibility that one day it decides to become wild again. We may have to live with that forever, but if we truly embark on our own path we can live with the absence of fear. And if the Dragon decides to untamed itself, we are ready. If we learn from our past fights, adapt the lessons from the failures, and evolve, it would be wise to expect the Dragon to of done the same. When the dragons show up again, the fight will be different, but it won't be new. Some dimensions will be different, but we will have the tool kit to embark on the new journey once again. The problem lies not when the Dragon decides to wake up, but if the Dragon decides to sit in the shadows quietly and patiently—waiting for a prime opportunity to attack. When time once viewed as our ally can become our Achilles heel. Time is mischievous and is continuously playing tricks. Time has the power to do funny things to memories and make the recollection of the Dragon foggy. We are downplaying the Dragon's cleverness, strength, endurance, and speed. They say history doesn't repeat itself; people do. Will we prove this axiom wrong?
What will come of the workplace and workforce is not an interesting question here. The question we should be asking is what will come of us as individuals. Will we be better or worse after this? How long will it take us to adjust to the new status quo?
We have been summoned as individuals and as a species to partake in a Hero's Journey. At first, our "Call to Adventure" came with the news of COVID-19, in China. We refused the call and didn't act. We required a supernatural aid; in this case, it was the appearance of COVID-19 worldwide that forced everyone into the journey and took us through the threshold of the unknown(and where we currently remain). We have wise helpers like Dr. Anthony Fauci and Bill Gates that are guiding us through this world of the unknown. We each have our journeys through the challenges of quarantine and the temptations of breaking the rules. The test is only getting harder, and the time seems to be moving slower. Sooner or later, we will arrive at the Abyss and will have to die to be reborn.
A revelation will take place where our rebirth is a transformation, and the final Dragon we slay will lead us to atonement and the return to the known world. We do not return to this known world empty-handed. Our journey and slaying of the dragons earned us a gift from the gods. A gift that can only be of value by completing the quest. Just like that of being inducted to the Hall of Fame. It's not the gift that makes the difference; it's the hero you become in the journey that makes the difference. See, we always had that gift in us but didn't understand its purpose or power. We needed the journey to challenge ourselves to become something entirely new; wiser, kinder, and stronger. Then the power of the gift aligns with the user. Whereas before, neither had used for the other, but now they are complimentary.
Many embark on the journey to the unknown but return with no gifts. They don't want to be on the journey and prefer the return to the old status quo. The journey picks those who it believes has the strength to endure the challenges and temptations and those who have within them the power to use the gift. However, the passenger must complete the journey themselves; outsourcing is not an option, and no amount of money will buy a free pass. We can choose to complete the journey haphazardly, which is the greatest disappointment of all because by doing so, we prove to the Gods that they were wrong. We cannot handle the power of their gifts.
So instead of focusing on the workplace or the workforce, let's focus on our journeys and slaying dragons. In the end, we will all have new gifts to share, and then we can start to address the best mediums for it. If we ignore our journeys, we will never earn our gifts and depriving the world of what we could have shared with it. It is our responsibility to armor up and slay dragons. It's the only way we truly can understand who we are.
Don't let a Dragon Slaying opportunity pass.
Those who survive and thrive after Dragon COVID-19 are those who partook in the battle and navigated their paths. They now can share with the world their newly earned gifts.
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