It’s April 4, 2020. I stopped going to the office on March 13, and according my Captain’s Log, we’re on Day 24 of this self-isolation. I don’t have any symptoms, but I’m assuming I have it and wear a mask whenever I go to grocery shopping (about 1x a week). This either is your reality now and or will be soon.
Coronavirus is the biggest global crisis we’ve had since at least WWII. Possibly ever.
The natural question is “when are things going to get back to normal?”
The problem with this question is that it assume there is a “normal life” that we can all go back to. Even under non-pandemic circumstances, the future is always going to differ from the past in unexpected ways. Under these conditions, we can multiply that by 100x.
- Handshakes and hugs as greetings
- Elevator etiquette
- B2B sales tactics
- Concerts and tours
- Group fitness classes
- Public touchscreens
- Health surveillance
- Nightlife
- Support for universal basic income
- Video calls
- Masks as fashion pieces
- Cooking vs eating out
- The Asian diaspora
- Meeting other singles
- Virtual reality
- International travel
- Urban vs suburban demographics
- Homeschooling
- Hand lotion
- Live action films/TV
This by no means a complete list.
Everyone of these things are affected by or emerging from Coronavirus. At least 50% of those things will look totally different in in 2022 vs 2019.
Which ones? Hell if I know. You shouldn’t believe anyone who says they do.
What I do know is that our resourcefulness, resilience, and willingness to get uncomfortable, is going to see us through it.
This is a wild time to be alive. Like most of us, I am experiencing elevated levels of worry and existential dread. It’s normal. It’s ok.
Change is the only constant. And if human beings are good at anything, we’re good at adapting. That’s how we took over the planet, and if we get through this pandemic, it’s how we’ll find our way through to the new normal.
What’s going to change? The better question is, what isn’t?