We have this incredibly long history of taking short term gain at the cost of long term loss that far outweighs it, and yet we continue to make the same mistake

We have this incredibly long history of taking short term gain at the cost of long term loss that far outweighs it, and yet we continue to make the same mistakes time and time again. The countries that spent the most and locked down the hardest took the smallest hit because they were able to mitigate most of the damage, which is much more expensive. People have to stop pretending countries are people economically, the cost of locking down is something developed countries can bear, and should. Of course, this is all a microcosm of the same problem we face with climate change. It'd be really nice if we could finally learn the lesson and start paying the price now, rather than waiting and paying far more down the line.