The Case for Insular Communities

We have (so far) not suffered much from COVID-19, relative to predictions around the next big pandemic. Experts say there is a 50% chance of the big one happening every 50 years, and a big one is 10 million+ deaths globally.

The only way a virus can spread globally is through travellers. If we can limit travelling, we can limit the spread of a virus.

At an international level, that means closing borders quickly. Hopefully it will happen quicker next time around – in 2020 the whole world was affected, even Antarctica. But then again, the next nasty virus could spread quicker, and have less or slower to appear symptoms. So we might still get it in every country.

At a local level, there are many factors in play:

• Gig economy, and people working in multiple, low-paid jobs
• Typically low-paid people live in more crowded accommodation
• Large gatherings / super-spreader events
• Travelling outside of your suburb for shopping/leisure

All of these can be reduced or negated by people living in small, insular communities. Typically these would be rural intentional communities. A community that is 100% separated from the rest of the world is totally safe in a pandemic, and also reduces the number of potential spreaders.

But we could take steps to make out lives more insular, instead of 100%. This comes with additional benefits:

• Knowing your neighbours – the more insular, the more you know the locals
• Safety – because you know more locals
• Care – because, for example a beggar, you are more likely to know their story
• Economy – buying local benefits the community

So how do we become more insular, without becoming some totally isolated intentional community?

• Work locally – choose less travel and more support for local businesses
• Socialise locally – don’t be an anonymous tourist in some popular suburb – hang out with the locals
• Join groups – local education and charity groups exist
• Ditch the Internet – you can find romance and have discussions in the real world
• Shop locally, instead of online. If you keep trying on shoes locally and buying online, that shoe fitting business will close
• Give locally – while it is great to give to international charities, charity starts at home
• Attend political events. I don’t mean Trump rallies, I do mean your local council meeting

The more you do each of the above, the more insular your community becomes. There are no negatives (well, except for gossip, so play nice), many positives, and one of those is less potential for a virus to spread and kill people you love.