Arriving at a new normal

At the one year anniversary mark of America and the World shutting down in response to the rampant spread of a lethal contagion, new leadership working with the required scientific progress has humanity almost ready to emerge into a new post-Covid future. We may not have a clear idea of where we are going, but we can certainly look back and see where we have been. It would not be unreasonable to think of the past year as a very long walk in which multiple pairs of shoes were worn out. That has actually happened to me before in real life but metaphorically speaking, the mitigation measures which were implemented to limit the spread of the pathogen have forced us to take that long walk alone, kept us physically apart, funneled most of us into a rut of a limited lifestyle, slowed us down and made us appreciate the human contact that has been missing in our lives ever since. Hopefully wherever we arrive and whatever it may resemble in terms of a post-pandemic normal will reflect some of what we have come to know over that proverbial long walk of the past twelve months.

We here in America have been forced to learn some hard truths since March 11th, 2020. Hopefully these lessons will not require repeating anytime soon if ever. Despite three years of marginal management and leadership by tweet, it took a killer virus and half a million deaths to underscore the value of having a seasoned public servant in charge as Chief Executive of the nation rather than a populist TV personality with no public sector experience. We have had to learn in the ugliest way possible the benefit of economic diversity when our top-heavy service economy was forced to shut down. Moreover, many Americans had to accept the fact of how financially fragile and job-dependent they truly are and maxing out on credit is not in their ultimate best interest. As has been said before on this blog, Covid-19 did not impose anything on the USA that was not already here. It merely highlighted all the socioeconomic fissures and fully exposed the weaknesses. Many of us have long since been aware that such things existed. It took the containment of a spreading virus to make them overly apparent and bring them to center stage before the backdrop of a crashing stock market.

Let’s think for a moment and ponder this idea: If we could remake our World any way we wanted, how would we do it? How long would it take once the wheels of change are set into motion? As it often goes with such a process, getting to a new normal may be a long work in progress. As we emerge from the surreal era of Covid-19, we will never have a better opportunity to renew or retool so many things pertinent to life as we knew it. We are going to find that the World has continued to turn but that our aging process did not take the hiatus with us. Realizing that none of us are getting any younger may hopefully prompt our understanding of certain essentials for a full and satisfying present and future. Not only is the post-Covid World primed for change, the way we view it will need to evolve with it. The overwhelming urge to return to pre-pandemic norms may require a personal challenge and effort in order to mold our thinking into a more useful and healthy worldview. To be the change in the World we seek will require the desire and motivation for it to come from within each of us.

History will record the year of the pandemic as a watershed for just about everyone seeing how few places on the planet were left untouched by the effects of the virus. As the World moves on and personal specifics of the new normal are established, it is my hope that certain alterations in the way our nation does business will become manifest via legislation and official policy. A valid hindsight criticism is that government has a duty to keep its citizens safe and promoting wishful thinking to counter unflattering results is not only a disservice but a failure toeing the line of criminality. Seeing how throughout the past year that disinformation was allowed to wreak havoc under the penumbra of “free speech,” it would not be unreasonable to return to something resembling the old Fairness Doctrine. It is also a fine opportune time that the anti-regulation sentiment in government be effectively checked and an effort be made to roll back the era of deregulation as a matter of policy. Diversifying energy options by investment in sources other than petroleum may help prevent mass failure of our power grid. A service economy is good, but diversifying the service sector and developing alternatives could keep many off the unemployment rolls in times of national crisis. I say this because much of the hardship endured over that last year had to do with limited options regarding occupation and employment. As indicated above, we will never have a better time to hit the reset button on much of this.

Spring 2021 has arrived and not far behind is that ever ellusive and tantalizing new normal. The future could not be more of a polar opposite from a year ago. The outlook is vibrant and bright with a burgeoning sense of hope and promise that a killer pathogen has been contained. To those who have survived it and even for those of us who have merely been constantly threatened by it, walking in the sunshine and fresh air have a renewed appeal. Visiting all who suffered from our absence and congregating with our friends and groups of friends at reopened venues never felt as comforting. The joy of living suddenly seems fresh and new like we all remember it once was. Welcome to the New Normal!