What We Lost in The Pandemic
By Rizkia
Published On September 1, 2025
Pondering on a World Transformed – Professionally and Personally
Back in 2020, I walked my kid to school – just two steps across the living room. No traffic, no backpacks – just pajamas, giggles, and the occasional cereal spill. The world outside was on pause, but inside, I got a front-row seat to moments I’d otherwise have missed.
Before the Silence
In early 2020, the global economy was humming. Offices were full. Flights were packed. Tight schedules and “busy” were badges of honor.
The world operated on an almost mechanical rhythm – predictable, structured, and unrelentingly fast. We didn’t just adapt to this rhythm; we internalized it. Career success was measured in hours spent, meetings attended, and visibility maintained.
Professionally, the model was clear: long hours, physical presence, and command-control leadership. Personally, time was fragmented. Family dinners were often missed, hobbies postponed, inner lives neglected.
The Global Hush
And then – everything stopped.
The COVID-19 pandemic wasn’t just a public health crisis. It was a global interruption.
According to the International Labour Organization, an estimated 8.8% of global working hours were lost in 2020 – equivalent to 255 million full-time jobs. But more than jobs, we lost patterns, assumptions, and the illusion of permanence.
So… What Exactly Did We Lose?
1. Certainty
Strategic plans turned into survival strategies. Businesses halted. Schools closed. Career paths and retirement timelines blurred. Tomorrow became unpredictable.
2. Social Connectivity
Zoom saw daily meeting participants rise from 10 million in December 2019 to over 300 million by April 2020. Yet, loneliness surged. According to the American Psychological Association, prolonged remote work led to significant increases in isolation, especially among young professionals and working parents.
3. Trust in Institutions
Governments faltered. Misinformation spread faster than the virus. In Indonesia, as in many nations, public trust in data, vaccines, and leadership wavered.
4. Professional Identity
No more watercoolers. No more suits. No more commutes. Without rituals, many professionals faced existential questions: Who am I without my title? My corner office? My LinkedIn headline?
The Emergence of the Literal New World Order
Out of loss, a new order emerged – not by design, but by necessity.
🔁 Work Was Redefined
Remote work became mainstream. A Gartner survey showed that 47% of companies would allow employees to work remotely full-time post-pandemic, and 82% were planning for hybrid models.
Work became asynchronous, outcome-focused, and digitally native. Productivity shifted from hours clocked to value created.
🧠 Mental Health Took Center Stage
Mental wellness went from private struggle to public strategy. In Indonesia, platforms like Halodoc and Alodokter saw spikes not just in medical consultations – but mental health support.
🌱 Personal Development Became a Priority
With the world on pause, millions revisited their inner lives. Online learning boomed. Coursera added 20 million new users in 2021, up from 8 million in 2019.
⚙️ Productivity Tools Rewrote the Rules
Platforms like Canva, Notion, and ChatGPT reshaped how we work. What once took three days now takes three hours. But beware: the tools may be fast, yet originality of thought remains the line between the mindful and the mechanical. (See McKinsey’s 2023 report on Generative AI’s productivity impact)
We learned to pause. To breathe. To question what really matters. And finally – to do what really matters.
But Regrettably… Not Everything Died
One might have hoped the pandemic would kill off some of the less noble relics of our systems. Alas, some stowaways boarded the post-pandemic ark:
- 🗃️ Lengthy Bureaucracy It shapeshifted – now digital, but just as sluggish. Forms went online, but approvals still needed six signatures and a WhatsApp reminder.
- 💸 Grandiose Embezzlement In many developing nations, crisis became opportunity – not for reform, but exploitation. Indonesia’s COVID-19 aid scandal involving the Ministry of Social Affairs reminded us: moral immunity wasn’t part of the vaccine rollout.
- 🔄 Practical Inefficiencies We Zoomed endlessly. Meetings multiplied – now even afterhours. Organizations simply digitized analog inefficiencies: talking in circles, tracking presence over performance, mistaking motion for momentum.
Moving Forward: Choosing What to Rebuild
Standing here today, it’s clear: The pandemic was a portal. A grand reset button for humanity.
We walked through it bruised, but came out wiser.
The question is not just what we lost, But what we learned – and more importantly: what we’re bold enough to leave behind.
Because “business as usual” wasn’t always healthy. And “normal” wasn’t always just.
Final Reflection
Let us mourn what was lost. Let us honor what we’ve gained. But most of all – Let us be deliberate about what we carry forward.
Because not everything deserves a comeback.
all references are hyperlinked in the article
About the Author
Om Bim is the professional moniker of Bima Raditya, SE., BA., MBA., CFP. – a full-time financial literacy advocate, personal development trainer, and founder of Radiance, a consulting firm on a mission to bring mindful clarity to money management and personal growth.
With over two decades of experience in hospitality and banking, he now dedicates his work to helping individuals and organizations make brighter decisions—one story, one step at a time.
Throughout his career, he’s worn many hats. But his favorite? The one that turns complex ideas into simple truths, and serious lessons into engaging, memorable experiences. He believes financial literacy – or any training, for that matter – should be like good coffee: bold, accessible, and meant to be shared.
When he’s not leading workshops or designing board games, you’ll likely find him pondering life with funk jazz playing in the background and a warm cup of fresh brew in hand.