G e t t i n g b a c k t o N o r m a l

​Nothing ever stays the same. Changes are always happening, which is how we got here today. Not the whole pandemic thing, but where humans are as a society and technologically. The only difference today is that the change came fast, and we had to adapt quickly.  

 Everyone is talking about the new normal. But we never go back to the old normal anyway, do we? We constantly evolve, sometimes taking the wrong turn, and that’s OK because we learn from our mistakes. People will eventually stop driving gas-powered cars (they were a good idea at the time, so was the Industrial Revolution), and people will probably wash their hands more. I can’t remember when we were told to cough into our elbows, but I do remember that coughing into your hand was the norm at one time (Really? Yes, really.).
 
A few things I can do without:

1. The look of fear when you turn down the cereal aisle only to meet someone coming the other way.
2. Trying to avoid the cloud of vape – but at least you can see where the moistlets are… (moistlets, that’s a good word)
3. Empty paper product and cleaning supply shelves. Still? I haven’t been able to buy wipes since this whole thing started.

What may things look like moving forward?

1. Stadiums, arenas, and theaters with every second seat removed? What about planes, trains, and buses?
2. Widened sidewalks?
3. Masks and gloves when in public?
4. Holding your breath in elevators?

 
There’s no normal unless constant change is considered normal. Will this happen again? Of course, it’s nature. Viruses, bacteria, germs, and the like are trying to survive, just like everything else. We just got to the top first. We win. Unfortunately, that victory comes with a lot of responsibility, that as a society, we don’t seem to be ready for yet. We will stumble and fall, like Bambi walking on ice, but we will get up and try again, and hopefully not wind up like (SPOILER ALERT!) her you know who…
 
I’ll end with a poem, that I wrote a few years ago:
 
Why We?
 
Why we?
Why us, why you, why me?
To use the world
As we please
If we were gone
Would our place be taken?
By whom?
The apes, the birds, the creatures of the sea?
The food chain loses its upper floor
But does it leave an open door
For a new destroyer
Or life in harmony?