Today?

You find yourself here because someone has shared this with you. Today.

If today really is the day, then something exciting is happening. Perhaps you are the tenth person to read this, perhaps the millionth. Once we reach a certain number of people, say 1 million of us, and only when we reach this collective mass, do we act together.

And the money we have moved to act together can be used to facilitate our action or their consequences.

Today is the day we zero our social distance, intentionally, collectively. Why? Because the weather is nice. And its time.

Today, The Day This Is Being Written

One day, we go out and share. And then we return to lockdown for a couple of weeks, perhaps three, and thus if the virus is moving, it will manifest in our homes again, and those who develop a severe case go to hospital where there are (currently) plenty of beds. It is one of the strategies that has been tabled: phased relaxation. The point is, who makes the decision to do this? The government, experts and so on? They’ve done their part. It would be foolish for us to follow institutional control down to the letter because there is a danger they start thinking they can tell us exactly what to do and when. Instead, can our return be instigated by ourselves. Not me, because I can’t tell which day will be the day, Today. It must be determined by us.

It’s Sunday 19th April 2020 as I, David Pinto, write this. A friend shared a link to do with the different perspectives academics have on the lockdown and the science of coronovirus. You’ve no doubt seen the variety of scientific perspectives, and because of the unknowns, there is significant variation on advice on what is to be done. We’ve been in lockdown in the UK for three weeks. My friend questions the damage being endured by our civil liberties. I consider our responsibility to our families, parents, friends. Both of us have mutual interest in our global position, the environmental deterioration and the limited ability of our traditional scientific, political and economic structures in dealing with the problems we will face over the next few decades.

My friend mentioned that amongst his circles there is a date set for some form of civil disobedience, 1st May. It reminds me of the civil disobedience of the Extinction Rebellion last year. Though it doesn’t have to be couched that way. I’d just prefer that our social distancing is not determined by having to go back to work, on specific dates. I’d rather we broke our social distance in a way which brought us together in a pleasant way, as human beings, preferably in nature rather than in factories or offices or schools. As I woke up this morning and the sunshine was streaming in between the edge of the curtain and the wall, I thought, ‘what if the weather is miserable that day, like it was yesterday?’ I’m sorry to say, I’m a good-weather cyclist, walker, thinker, generally I respond pretty well to a pleasant environment, when the clement weather is invitational. So, if the breaking of the lockdown were to happen, a pleasant day would bring out the best of those gathered.

Now, how could such an event be orchestrated? Where folks leave their houses, toddle off to the park, or get on their bikes (preferably) or into their cars, and scoot off to the countryside or beaches — with packed lunches because all the shops are closed — and enjoy being out and about with everyone else. Perhaps many would maintain some form of social distancing, perhaps would not. Obviously, those who think they were contaminated with the virus would stay at home. But we know now, because of the nature of this particular virus, symptoms are not obvious.

Today, The Day Each of Us Reads This

So, let’s say there is support by the government, and instead of telling us when to go back, we organise which day it is, specifically when that day is sunny. But how? Forecasts? No, we know how changeable that is in the UK in Spring! We have to decide on the actual day. This morning. We need a way of seeing if 1 million of us want to. Today.

This is where the Sqale app comes into the picture. You receive an invitation by email, you register and get this link, and here you are reading this. You can return to the app and see if there are a million people who have received this invitation.

The chances are, because the app is only a beta and we’re still working on it, there are only ten people who have seen it! In which case, send it to a friend immediately after reading this. If you share this with just two people, within ten minutes of receiving this, we’ll reach 64 people in an hour, over a thousand in two hours, and a million just over three hours. Viral growth. Much like coronovirus, transmitted person to person, but this is a good thing. This is about intentionally reducing our social distance to one another.

So, at around midday, you check the app to see how many are ready to go for a walk together. Not 1 million. Oh well, today is not the day. I know, as I write this, today is not the day because it is 10:10 am and I haven’t even finished this article! However, on another day, maybe a hundred of us. Let’s say another day — a beautiful, sunny warm day — one thousand. How will we know they are ready, and not received it a previous day? How do we know it’s TODAY?

Today, the Day We Gather

Well, weather is good, we’ve invited a few more people we haven’t already invited (not too many, because there are plenty of false starts to this), and evaluate whether today is the day: 10 means you are up for it! 8-9 means you really believe today is the day. 5-7 means the weather is good, but doubt it will happen. 1-4 means today is most probably not the day, you’re feeling ill (not with a cold, but with stomach ache or hungover etc).

And at midday, we check the app to see where we stand. 1 million of us, and the values our friends, family, colleagues have put in. Once we hit 1 million, we will alter the title of the card on Sqale to indicate Today really is the Day.

Let’s get out there! Share some of that good will. Bask the in warmth of the sun and other people’s warm intentions. Let’s share our wellbeing.

Failure State of Today — is Positive

So, today, most probably, is not the day. And by the time we get enough of us doing this, perhaps when the app has enough of its features completed, the lockdown will have come to an end. This opportunity to gather, has gone.

Still, the notion, the idea, the practice, might be used for another time, another situation. Today. In your country, or your city, or your community. Or globally. The maths, and the money, stack up. If each of us acts within ten minutes by simply sharing with two people, within five hours, that’s a billion of us. And if we are sharing £1 each time, that’s £1billion. Perhaps there is an environmental disaster; Sqale is the way we can generate the funds, on that day.

If today is not the day, and it’s midday, please Support this idea. All the money gathered will be used to facilitate the consequences once Today arrives. Or is carried forward to another event where the Today mechanism is enabled.

One day, we will learn the power we manifest when we organise ourselves in a more substantial way than going on marches, or gatherings, or buying the same thing, or voting. One day, our children will live in a world where today is always today. Humanity is making decisions and acting together, in concert. One day, this planet will be our home, a home which is healthy, clean, vibrant, safe, a living home.

For now, even with this failed state, we can dream. Share your dreams. It’s what I’ve just done. The first time we hit 1 million of us doing something today will be better written. But what is important is that it is genuine. Only share if you think it is genuine: you trust the person who shared this with you, and the ‘call-to-action’ has a quality of genuine opportunity for today. Use Sqale responsibly.