The fallout of unexpectedly persistent global inflation touches all, but the solutions lie mainly with the major central banks. Could the pandemic’s fallout on today’s labour market share some characteristics with the social turmoil that followed the 14th century Black Death? What will be the impact of wellness on that post-Covid society? There’s more than we might imagine that flows from the history of water. Science explains why the positive outpouring from the sensation of awe exceeds our imaginings. 

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“When you are in the presence of something vast and indescribable, you feel smaller, and so does your negative chatter.” Ethan Kross (a professor of psychology) about the sentiment of awe in the last article of the week

ARTICLE OF THE WEEK

Carmen Reinhart and Clemens Graf Von Luckner, The Return of Global Inflation
(Project Syndicate, 11 February 2022)
It’s always worth paying attention to what Carmen Reinhart (the World Bank’s chief economist) has to say, particularly on inflation that has “come back faster, spiked more markedly, and proved to be more stubborn and persistent than major central banks initially thought possible.” In this op-ed, she and her co-author argue that today’s inflationary surge is being felt not just by the advanced economies but also by the majority of emerging markets and developing economies. Its primary drivers are not uniform across countries, but the task of resolving the problem – that exacerbates inequality both within and across countries -ultimately will fall to the world’s major central banks. Read on! (metered paywall – 6-8 min).
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M.T. Anderson, In Medieval Europe, a Pandemic Changed Work Forever. Can It Happen Again?
(The New York Times, 16 February 2022)
A historian reflects on some lessons from the Black Death that burned its way across the Eurasian continent from 1347 to 1351. We have not suffered as brutal a demographic blow during Covid, but he sees echoes of the situation that followed it as workers refuse to return to pre-pandemic conditions and re-evaluate their needs and their values. In the 14th century, the struggles over wages and the value of labour that defined the post-plague years were in some ways as dramatic as the pandemic itself, and eventually Europe erupted into violence. Might the tensions in the labour market then have something to teach us about turmoil to come? (metered paywall that may require registration – reads in 8-10 min).
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Giulio Boccaletti, The Power of Water
(AEON, 15 February 2022)
As the academic, entrepreneur and author of Water: A Biography explains, water is far more potent than oil or gold. It is a stream of geopolitical force that runs deep, feeding crops and building nations, and the notion of “virtual river” helps understand the deep connection between water and global trade. A deep nexus exists between geopolitics and water that emerged when the latter ceased to be just nourishment for agriculture but became the principal infrastructure of empire. Dense, erudite and interesting throughout (free access – reads in 10min+).
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Douglas Broom, 6 trends that define the future of health and wellness
(World Economic Forum, 15 February 2022)
The pandemic has made people more health conscious and willing to embrace wellness (when they can ‘afford’ it). A recent IPSOS survey sheds interesting light on how wellbeing will change in our post-Covid world and the trends that will impact it: (1) An ageing population; (2) More virtual healthcare; (3) Customized personal diets; (4) Removing mental-health taboos; (5) Environmental concerns; (6) Tech (free access, reads in 4-5 min).
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David Robson, Awe: The ‘little earthquake’ that could free your mind
(BBC Futures, 6 January 2022)
As every participant who’s ever attended an MB Summit of Minds knows, intentionally seeking a sense of awe (which we do at each Summit) can improve memory, boost creativity and relieve anxious rumination. This article explains why the astonishing power of nature is limitless. Delve into it and appreciate its marvels without limitation – the science as to why this is so important is incontrovertible (free access – 6-7 min).
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