Nick Offerman hopes the coronavirus pandemic will prompt positive changes in society.
Nick Offerman
The 49-year-old actor - who is best known for his role as Ron Swanson in the NBC sitcom 'Parks and Recreation' - considers himself to be an "eternal optimist" and he thinks the pandemic could prove to be a turning point in human history.
He explained: "As an eternal optimist, my hope is that something might come out of this time of reflection, where we're all being made to hold still for a while.
"Perhaps when it's over, we will walk outside and look at a tree, or reacquaint ourselves with squirrels and birds in our neighbourhood, and say, 'Oh, there is beauty, there is worth, there is incredible value to the world and to life. And it doesn't come through my phone, it doesn't come through consumerism, it doesn't come from capitalism.'"
Nick thinks the pandemic could prompt society to view material possessions in a new light.
He observed that having three Porsches is "not actually that great".
The actor told the Guardian newspaper: "I had the good fortune of growing up in a frugal and loving family, so I understood that we can have a beautiful and rewarding life without having three Porsches in the garage.
"Having three Porsches is not actually that great, because you have to pay to maintain three Porsches.
"But if you instead get together with your family and build a canoe or a rowboat, you only need one of those. And you can have fun all year."
Nick also feels the need to keep his personal frustrations amid the pandemic in some sort of context.
He shared: "I mean, everything is kind of strange.
"For those of us whose work involves outputting any sort of content to an audience, everything has to be couched with sensitivity to the tragedy unfolding all around us."