As countries and economies re-emerge after the lockdown, the temptation will be great to return to life as we knew it (aka "The new normal"), but my guess is that the virus will not permit this for many months to come. As stay-at-home restrictions loosen up, resurgences in contagion will begin to rise again - leading to further shutdowns (most likely localized). Certainly former cultural norms such as handshakes and the European penchant to kiss your acquaintances on both cheeks will not be making a comeback anytime soon. WHA T I S S T RUGG L I NG T O EME RG E ? This crisis has already caused untold sorrows for millions who have lost loved ones and significant disloca- tions for those suffering from the impact on the economy. This suffer- ing will reverberate throughout society in the months and years to come. I shudder at the toll this will take on individuals, families, communities and society.
A RAY OF HOPE I for one see a ray of hope in some of the collective action and awareness which we are witnessing across the globe. On a local scale, connections The most important question I believe we have confronting us at this moment is: How will we take advantage of this singular moment in human history to improve our destiny? The stakes could not be higher and there is no guarantee that the change will be for the better. After all, the Great Depression of the 1930s was an incubator for fascism. How do we get it right this time? are happening in neighborhoods which would not have happened previously. Every evening for the past months at 9 p.m. many of our neighbors have come out to give thanks to the essential workers who are doing their jobs on the front line and keeping the rest of us safe. As a result, we have finally gotten to know some of our neighbors in the apartment complex across the street.
However with every crisis there is an accompanying
opportunity. It is like a forest fire which in the wake of its destruction makes room for new growth.
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