From crisis comes opportunity - but why this feels wrong!
Every crisis will affect sections of society in a different way. Take the current situation for instance; there are millions of people sat at home, bingeing on Netflix, baking cakes, attending zoom parties and spending quality time with families. At the opposite end of the spectrum there are exhausted workers doing 14 hour days, having to cancel annual leave, their next day off an unknown. Then, there are patients in hospital alone and loved-ones miles apart, not knowing when they will see one another again.
Whether it be an individual situation or a global pandemic, it has been proven throughout history that in a crisis, opportunities will be created.
From the greengrocer who has so many orders she can’t keep up, to the independent baker who had 20 regular customers last month but now has over 200, and the hygiene product manufacturer who, instead of furloughing existing employees is hiring new. They are all ‘profiting from a crisis’. Do we judge them? Absolutely not! We appreciate the long hours they are working; the essential contribution they are making to our survival and the security they are providing, enabling us to feed our families and continue with our lives. We need them and are thankful they exist.
However, there’s a sense of unease about profiting, advancing or personally gaining in such situations. It feels wrong, grubby, inappropriate, to feel happy when fellow humans, sharing the same set of circumstances, are suffering.
Why do we feel these emotions?
For some, the feeling of happiness is an amazing experience. They soak up every drop and seek out every opportunity. For others it can lead to a distinct sense of guilt.
In situations, like the current crisis, when peoples anxiety levels are already heightened, they may feel they don’t deserve to be happy, that its an indulgence they are not worthy of, or that it won’t last and something bad may be just around the corner, perhaps a sense of bad karma, preventing them from enjoying success.
It’s also possible that these feelings are a result of social comparison theory, which describes how people determine their own personal and social worth on how they compare to others with similar attributes. Whilst this theory was developed over 65 years ago, more recent research has found that individuals who regularly compare themselves to others can experience feelings of dissatisfaction, guilt or remorse.
However, regardless of how these feelings have come about, if we are mindful to hold onto our core values, be kind, compassionate and considerate to others then we should feel thankful, not guilty for coming out of a crisis with positivity. Allowing yourself to let go, accept your circumstances and ‘be happy’ will reduce stress and help you find peace.