By this time, unless you have been hiding under a rock, you know one of the best ways to help end this virus is to maintain physical distance from others by at least 6 feet (some say 35 feet). You should also wear a mask out in public, so if you are a carrier you will help mitigate spreading the germs.

While these are the obvious ways you can help curtail the spread of the virus, there are other things you might be able to do to lighten the stress load for Corona V. We all can be productive citizens by contributing solutions related to our new not so normal issues, but maybe, just maybe we have not been inspired to REALLY question just how we can make that difference.

A few weeks ago, I posed a question here in my blog as to what you think you can do to help solve this crisis. Since writing that Blog, I have read a fascinating book authored by Warren Berger, A More Beautiful Question, The Power of Inquiry to Spark Breakthrough Ideas. The message in this book is pertinent to the current global crises. Berger educates the reader about the impact powerful questions have had on life altering products and services. When we think out of the box or train ourselves to be curious in ways that ignite our brain power, a myriad of possibilities can be illuminated. According to Berger, the road to creative problem solving begins with childlike uninhibited curiosity of basic problems. Why is this a problem, why does it have to be a problem? Why can’t we try X to solve this problem? What if we looked at resolving it this way or that way? How can we make that work? The challenge is to get in a Zen state of letting go of SOP, standard operating procedures. Let your imagination take you to pragmatic but innovative wonderlands.

I know there are pop-up problem-solving sites already in process – a shout out to those citizens putting their productivity efforts in a beautiful place. I would love to see every University and High School reach out to their students and give them the assignment to think about the Why, the What ifs, and The How related to questions that face our nation. Breakthrough ideas often come from the curious lay person. I am hoping some answers to the questions below will come long before 2022.

How do we get our country back on track once the Virus has been beaten?

What can we be doing now to help build our economy?

What can students do while sheltering in place without driving their parents crazy?

What can parents do while sheltering in place without driving their children crazy?

What more can we do to lighten the stress for our front-line responders (nurses, doctors, firemen/women, policemen/women, mail carriers, grocery, restaurant, and delivery employees)?

Is there a way to defeat the virus that is not being worked on as we speak? What might that be?

What can be done to get more food to those in need?

How do we get/make PPE for our medical staff?

I challenge you to think about these questions and share them with the people in your sphere of influence. Together, we can be productive for a much bigger cause than we might have thought possible. Let me hear from you at linda@capturedclutter.com and stay safe out there. Wash your hands and keep your distance.