1: Introduction – What Would You Do with a Blank Slate?

This book begins with you using your imagination. In particular, it starts with you picturing this scenario:

While in 2019 such a scenario could be viewed as existing purely in the realm of science fiction, by early 2020, as the COVID-19 virus emerged from the Chinese city of Wuhan and rapidly spread, it soon becomes a science fact. The catastrophic social and economic effects of the virus were felt across all corners of the globe. Within months, millions had become infected while hundreds of thousands had died. Weddings were cancelled and limited numbers at funerals meant mourners grieved over Skype. Bars, cafés, restaurants, shops, factories – anything not deemed vital for day-to-day life – were temporarily closed and social distancing measures introduced for whatever remained open. Planes no longer flew, ferries no longer carried passengers and traffic fell silent. Millions shifted from offices to home working so that reliable Internet connection, devices and a space to work became a commodity. Mass unemployment in the services section soon became the norm and GDP shrank in most countries, sometimes by more than a third. Schools were closed in 184 countries, impacting some 1.54 billion children (91% of the student population) as well as their parents who had to attempt a balance between home working and ensuring that home learning happened.¹