Wealth Management: Blog – In conversation with: David Mayer de Rothschild

Sophie Kilvert - Client Adviser

In our second instalment of the series, I was joined by David Mayer de Rothschild, environmentalist and explorer, to discuss his unique experiences with isolation and thoughts on the environmental effects of the COVID-19 crisis.

David has carved a path for himself beyond the family business. From expeditions to social enterprises, the former National Geographic 'Emerging Explorer' became the youngest British person to reach both geographic poles in 2006. Setting sail in Plastiki, a boat constructed using reclaimed plastic bottles, in 2010 David crossed the Pacific Ocean in a 9200-mile journey from San Francisco to Sydney, to raise awareness for the mass of marine debris known as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Coping with isolation and being confined with others for long periods is a skill David has much practice in.

In his coping tips, David emphasises that creating a daily routine during expeditions is essential. During his Arctic journeys, he breaks up his day into when he needs to be sleeping, eating and skiing to turn long and often arduous days into smaller and more manageable chunks of time. He also avoids projecting into the future too much, as counting down how many days he has left on a journey can become torturous, and advises focussing on being present instead.

Of course, being present during this lockdown can be challenging for many of us accustomed to living in a fast-paced world. David even goes so far as to admit that he would prefer to be looking at the endless horizon of the Pacific, or sailing across the Arctic, than being confined inside as he is now. Sitting still in isolation is a major shift in mindset, and balancing physical activity with spending time with yourself and your thoughts is a difficult but important challenge.

Throughout lockdown, it's important to remember that we've not lost our identity, our community or our friends and family, and we should keep our sense of purpose and role in the world close. Humans are social creatures; we want to belong and be part of a community, and isolation has only served to highlight that. We take many of the small things in life for granted. David says that, during long journeys, he often craves small comforts, such as a fizzy drink or a soft bed, things that he might've taken for granted before. During this lockdown, many of us are finding new appreciation for small joys and freedoms that we may not take for granted again once normal life returns.

However, as David explains, the pendulum always swings back to normal eventually. People will inevitably rush back to regular life, perhaps forgetting the lessons learned during this time. Nonetheless, David hopes that, as the confinement will likely continue for some time, there is enough time for us to form new habits, learn to consume less, and realise the value in richer experiences with others.

David deplores how we take nature for granted. Our world has a beautifully master-planned series of checks and balances that humans have tried to control and exploit, pushing the system to its limits. Nature, David suggests, has sent us to our rooms to reflect on our role in the web of life. Our boundless desire to consume has created the fragile environment that we find ourselves in now, but nature is ready to come back - we see this in the goats taking over in Llandudno, or the fish returning to the canals of Venice. It reminds us that this planet is not built for just us and that the systems we have built are fragile and not in any way immune to our actions.

David hopes that, if we are able to look past the horrific loss of life and the anxiety caused by the media, we can see that, for all the barriers we place between ourselves and others, we are still so biologically and economically interconnected as a species. We cannot predict the economic and social impact of this pandemic, but perhaps we can consider an ecological collapse in a more equal footing to an economic one. David hopes that, during this break from normality, we might be able to gain a new perspective on the serious impact our normal actions and consumption are having on the planet.