The new "normal" is not temporary.

[missy]

What do you view as changes that will remain permanent?
What will eventually go back to what it was before?

Will the after be better than the before or will it just be different?

My thoughts.

Fears about being around others will remain for a long time but perhaps there will be a renewed sense of connection and community.
During stressful times we change and how we interact with others may end up changing dramatically.

For one, our sense of responsibility towards our neighbors and the elderly that have increased during this pandemic will hopefully be a trend that continues after the pandemic. Taking care of those who need us. When we work together we do better than when we go it alone.

When we first became aware of the pandemic many of us resisted the changes- the new reality. We fought against it wanting to preserve our comfortable "old" lives. Then many of us started realizing that we must adapt and accept the changes in order to survive and thrive.

We cannot control most of what is happening but we can control our reactions and behavior to what is happening. And we are forced to live in the moment. Taking things one day, one hour at a time. Taking moments of joy where we can knowing nothing is promised to us. We become resilient and adaptable and accommodating. The only way we can be to make it through. What is that quote? "Adapt or perish"




We will get through this but we will forever be changed. How that will translate to post pandemic IDK. But we will find out. And perhaps there will be many positive changes that come from this despite the tragic loss of so many lives. Will be learn from this and be better prepared for the (sure to come) next pandemic or whatever the next crisis is? Will we be kinder to each other? Will we take care of those who need us or fall back onto our old ways? Our sense of community, memory and time are all transformed. There will be lasting consequences. Time will tell how much we learned from this and if the valuable lessons translate to a brighter future for all.

Please share your thoughts re the new "normal" and the lasting consequences of this pandemic.

 

[dk168]

I suspect there will be some changes, such as the frequency of travel and holidaying abroad.

DK

 

[MarionC]

I suspect we are having a metamorphosis and along with the changes it will take a long time for the dark cloud over us to dissipate,
even when things are « OK » again.

Even people who are healthy and have not lost loved ones are in mourning. The whole world is is mourning.
But I look at history, and people who have survived much worse ended up living rich full lives. Thinking of -Man’s Search for Meaning- Viktor Frankl
Guess we won’t know what’s in store ‘till it comes along.
.

 

[missy]

I agree. We are resilient and we will overcome.

Another issue now the world is facing is the lack of sunspots. Let’s hope that the cooling that will ensue is not extreme. There’s no way to predict.

The solar minimum: A reasonable explanation based on science (not hysteria)

The solar minimum has people in a panic over unusual weather events, but experts explain that there's no need to worry.

www.inverse.com

The only thing we can count on in life is change and death. Oh and taxes. Though those can be delayed.

 

[missy]

I suspect there will be some changes, such as the frequency of travel and holidaying abroad.

DK

It will be interesting to see how the industry handles the dramatic change. And the restaurant businesses too. We have already had many cherished restaurants close by us. Taking a terrible toll on so many in so many different ways.

 

[Ally T]

Watching my relatives & friends in New Zealand hugging each other & meeting up for the first time in weeks, really warmed my heart this morning. I watched my 4 year old second cousin excitedly waiting on the driveway for his grandparents to arrive and when they did & he ran over, my goodness, there was definitely something in my eye.

And I cannot wait for us to be the same. I cannot wait for my children to be able to run inside my mothers house & hug her. She hasn't had a hug since March 10th & it breaks my heart.

Things will be different & life more cautious, but only for a time. And we will dust ourselves off, and my children will barely remember this time, and we will keep the amazing relationships we have built up with our village through our WhatsApp group & our chats across the lanes on our walks. We will continue to look out for each other even more & we will learn from this. Our resident Baker gave the girls a big bag of flour / yeast mix yesterday, after they mentioned they wanted to make pizza but the shops were out of yeast. The local farmer cut some huge, beautiful red poppies & left them in the barn with my eggs just now, to make me smile when I went in. The girls have parcelled up their baking goods over the last few weeks & left them on doorsteps, also just to make people smile.

We will rebuild & recover. Health systems the world over will be stocked & prepared. We learned to live with HIV & there was never any cure for SARS or MERS - they dwindled away & we barely remember the fear they brought. I was hospitalised when pregnant with my youngest whilst they tested me for Swine Flu & I was terrified. The test was negative, I just had a pneumonia & now I can hardly recall the whole thing.

We will continue working from home whenever we can. We will be stronger as family units & appreciate what we have, what some of us have lost & what some of us have gained. And we will marvel that most of the world was able to put down their aggression & angers with each other, to take stock & work as a team. I am hopeful that some of these angers will stay right where they were put....

And I think we may finally buy our dream villa in Cyprus, so that we have a safe space in the girls favourite destination, to visit whenever we like without worrying about the people who were there before us.

Sorry for this rambling post - I typed as it came

 

[missy]

Watching my relatives & friends in New Zealand hugging each other & meeting up for the first time in weeks, really warmed my heart this morning. I watched my 4 year old second cousin excitedly waiting on the driveway for his grandparents to arrive and when they did & he ran over, my goodness, there was definitely something in my eye.

And I cannot wait for us to be the same. I cannot wait for my children to be able to run inside my mothers house & hug her. She hasn't had a hug since March 10th & it breaks my heart.

Things will be different & life more cautious, but only for a time. And we will dust ourselves off, and my children will barely remember this time, and we will keep the amazing relationships we have built up with our village through our WhatsApp group & our chats across the lanes on our walks. We will continue to look out for each other even more & we will learn from this. Our resident Baker gave the girls a big bag of flour / yeast mix yesterday, after they mentioned they wanted to make pizza but the shops were out of yeast. The local farmer cut some huge, beautiful red poppies & left them in the barn with my eggs just now, to make me smile when I went in. The girls have parcelled up their baking goods over the last few weeks & left them on doorsteps, also just to make people smile.

We will rebuild & recover. Health systems the world over will be stocked & prepared. We learned to live with HIV & there was never any cure for SARS or MERS - they dwindled away & we barely remember the fear they brought. I was hospitalised when pregnant with my youngest whilst they tested me for Swine Flu & I was terrified. The test was negative, I just had a pneumonia & now I can hardly recall the whole thing.

We will continue working from home whenever we can. We will be stronger as family units & appreciate what we have, what some of us have lost & what some of us have gained. And we will marvel that most of the world was able to put down their aggression & angers with each other, to take stock & work as a team. I am hopeful that some of these angers will stay right where they were put....

Sorry for this rambling post - I typed as it came

l love hearing your thoughts from the heart. That’s the best way to share them. Thanks @Alex T for your lovely post.

 

[arkieb1]

There are some people in Australia that have been through years of devastating drought and then the bush or wild as you call them fires and had homes businesses and communities destroyed and are now dealing with the economic and social fallout from this.....

Humans are a resilient bunch, here's hoping a vaccine is developed soon and we do learn a lot from our mistakes.

 

[Arcadian]

Humans will be as gross as ever....lol

I know I know but its true. The amount of trash we throw every where is so disgusting. I've seen gloves and masks just thrown all over the place. We as a species just dosen't effen learn!

Nor are we kind. we're not a kind species, especially not to our own and we will continue along the same vein.

Some areas there will be changes, there has to be after something like this, but as a whole, nope. Obtuseness and willful ignorance will abound.

 

[Queenie60]

My fear is that over time many will forget and resume their previous "normal" without thought. Same as humans tend to do about the devastating news stories, such as shootings, murders, etc. They tend to forget and move on to the next sensation. I will be cautious for a very long time and hope that others feel the same.

 

[Tekate]

I think @missy that we will all be a little kinder and have a memory of being in this together, I'm not saying watershed moment, but perhaps not as much honking, not as much running, maybe people will have more family time realizing how nice it really is.. I hope anyway xoxoxo

 

[JPie]

I think there’s a good chance of another world or civil war in our future.

If it’s a world war, probably US vs China. There’s an unsettling number of people out there, and even on this board, who have a great deal of vitriol against the Chinese government, and by extension people of Chinese descent. In their rage, they can’t distinguish the difference between the CCP and fellow Americans so I worry about a return to internment camps and/or blacklists.

If it’s a civil war, then far right extremists continuing to foment unrest. It’ll probably be along racial lines.

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

Humans will be as gross as ever....lol

I know I know but its true. The amount of trash we throw every where is so disgusting. I've seen gloves and masks just thrown all over the place. We as a species just dosen't effen learn!

Nor are we kind. we're not a kind species, especially not to our own and we will continue along the same vein.

Some areas there will be changes, there has to be after something like this, but as a whole, nope. Obtuseness and willful ignorance will abound.

this is so true
the lockdown our streets were so clean but as soon as we went into level 3 and MacDonalds and KFC could open for takeaways people just chuck their rubbish everywhere
disgusting and people should be ashamed
one thing i noticed was durring lockdown and cooking every last mouthful we ate from scratch and not wasting anything due to it being so hard to get groceries, was our wheelie bin was only 1/4 full on rubbish days

ive never got good deals on overseas travel but im hoping one day i am still able to visit NJ and NYC
ive walked enough places in my life and used either my feet or the train to get to work i feel zero guilt enjoying the outtings in the car nor do i buy into food miles when my country grows food for export for a living ...because just look our tourism is working out right now ...
so as soon as im finacially able ill be buying American stone fruit and berries in the middle of our winter ..

i worry about the shops in town
who will survive this and who won't

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

I think @missy that we will all be a little kinder and have a memory of being in this together, I'm not saying watershed moment, but perhaps not as much honking, not as much running, maybe people will have more family time realizing how nice it really is.. I hope anyway xoxoxo

that would be nice
i hope mothers and fathers appreated the time they have had at home with their families
on the news they just show mothers sick of having the kids home

i hope people will be kinder to supermarket workers and cleaners, the rubbish collectors - people who had no choice but to work durring the lock down, work that can't be done from home
but this time has exposed so much selfishness in society, from all that disgusting hoarding to just complete disregard for other people's safety

but the big thing i want to see come out of all this is major and far reaching public enquires in every country and a resulting overhaul of agged care facilitied because our old people were completly failed durring this time all over the world, and they deserved so much more

many years ago my grandma lived her last year in the care of Catholic nuns, (and we are not Catholic) surrendered by love and carring and compassion with excellant levels of nursing, nutrition, hygiene and cleanliness and also time for someone to sit with my grandma and hold her hand, to arrange her flowers, to talk to her and treat her with dignity

nowdays aged care is about money, turnover and return to shareholders and very little else and i say that with no disrespect intended toward the often very dedicated people who work for usually low wages in those places giving the very best care they possibly can given the limited resources head office allocates them

 

[AprilBaby]

I’m hoping the world will come out a better place but I think we will get a vaccine and go back to what we were.

 

[Bron357]

I think the biggest “wake up” is that we aren’t, as a species, invincible.
That horrific viruses and diseases that decimated human kind in the past are very much still a real and present danger.

 

[kenny]

Humans think we're so smart and chosen.

Humans aren't special.
We're merely one of zillions of insignificant competitive bitches doing DNA's bidding.
Whether we lose or win this battle doesn't mean anything.
Forms of DNA come and go. No biggie.

So I'm just gonna enjoy this brief E-ticket ride we call life.

 

[missy]

Perhaps some of you will find this helpful or at least interesting.

How Rituals and Focus Can Turn Isolation Into a Time for Growth

As the author learned caring for his ailing wife, a well-ordered day with close attention to mundane tasks can let us endure with purpose.

www.wsj.com

 

[Tekate]

Hey @missy we don't subscribe to the WSJ I'm sure you aren't allowed to copy the whole thing, but just wanted you to know. xoxoxo

 

[missy]

Hi @Bayek i think it’s ok. It’s being shared on a public site. If you click it you should have access to the entire article. LMK if you want me to copy and paste if you can’t read it. You should be able to.

 

[voce]

In the US, I think we'll recover and take public health threats more seriously. That's the good that will come of this.

Hopefully, we'll start to do better when it comes to race discrimination. We still have a very long way to go, but at least George Floyd got us talking and thinking. I personally think it's going to take decades more to root out the unconscious bias, which makes educated same consciously decent people make mistakes, when it comes to hiring minorities.

I think I have been witnessing a devolution of democracy and decency in politics. People who are willing to stand with Trump and his lies. People acting on suspicions, unsubstantiated rumors, and not facts. I worry about November elections, whether Trump will not leave the oval office because of ballots cast by mail. For this reason, I'm going to vote in person and hope enough other people do the same to hand Trump a decisive defeat. Even if there's a second wave of coronavirus going on at the time, I think Trump in power for for more years is a greater existential that than the virus.

I do not want to go to war with China. I don't like the CCP and think they're as bad as Trump, BUT I don't believe they engineered the virus to wreck the West. It's very alarming when I heard over NPR that 3 out of 5 people in the UK believe this drivel that the Chinese government engineered the pandemic.