Circuit Breaker – Day 4
I bring my own packed food for supper. I used to cook, but nowadays my mum cooks extra and I bring the leftovers. My team mates prefer to buy food at the workplace, but y’know, I prefer not to buy if I can help it. At the start, they took pity on me because I was eating pretty much the same thing every day. Rice and meat and veg. Nowadays my team mates are starting to see the wisdom of this habit, especially when the only thing you can eat now is McDonald’s, Heavenly Wang or Subway. Most of the food stalls are closed. Surprisingly, I have more variety in my food than they do.
I’m a creature of habit. I like to sit at the same places to eat when I’m at the workplace. Early on, I scouted the whole place during my break times to identify good places where I can sit, eat, drink, and chill during my break. Imagine my surprise and annoyance when I went to my usual spot and found that all the chairs had been removed. It wasn’t even outside a food stall! I don’t like disruptions to my routine.
But that’s what Covid-19 has brought to all of us. Disruptions. Changes to our daily routines. For the good of all. People are resistant to change, because change brings uncertainty and fear. So people don’t want to change. You have to make people change. You have to create a bigger fear from not changing. Most people change because they fear not changing more than they fear changing. Few people change because the new situation is more attractive than the current. Sticks are more effective than carrots for bringing about behavioural change.
That’s why when you tell people not to go out unnecessarily so as not to spread the virus, few listen. But when you tell them, I fine you if you go out unnecessarily, they listen.
Daniel Tay 