A New World

Image Courtesy: Jorge Vasconez, Unsplash.com

Change is a part of life. Sometimes it’s positive but right now it’s anything but that. The good news is that you are not alone in these trying times where there is so much uncertainty. We respond differently to uncertainty. Many of us either try to control events or some simply shutdown. But we can either ride the wave of uncertainty or let it crash upon us as we struggle to remain afloat.

Shutting down is the path of least resistance. You can shrug your shoulders, step back and watch as events unfold and take their own course. But while that certainly requires less effort, it also disempowers you and precludes you from taking control over your own life. We all want more certainty right now, but the absence of it is not necessarily to be feared or worried about. Uncertainty could also unlock surprises, fun and brand new feelings, thoughts, beliefs and actions.

The irony is that we need both certainty and uncertainty. Personally, the best approach would be to focus on a new way of life that we all know will help us ride the wave of uncertainty. The way we live, socialize, travel, work will change. The familiar world that we were in a few months back will be unfamiliar and it will take time to recognize the new world.

We are already seeing the impact of the outbreak in the way we function. We are shopping online more than ever. Speaking with family and friends over video calls. Maintaining a work from home schedule. Washing our hands more times in the past few weeks than we did in the last few years. Conscious of touching surfaces including our faces. Keeping in mind that this threat will be around for a long time till we have a vaccine, these new routines are going to change our behavior and habits.

So the obvious question is…what will the new world look like?

Here are a few things that I can think of; we will become hypersensitive to our environment and rightly so. Some questions will become more frequent, like, who just touched the button in the elevator? We will keep stashes of personal protective equipment, like, masks, wipes, sanitizers and gloves. The world’s Instagram-fueled love affair with travel will cool. But beyond my personal opinion, let's see what some experts in fields ranging from behavior sciences to economics, restaurateurs, big thinkers and public health to predict what’s next, told Vox. This is how societies will transform, according to them:

We will operate from a “quarantine state of mind” which will make intimacy feel treacherous. The most mundane activities like talking, kissing, hugging, even singing is loaded with threat. “We are training people to see the world as a dangerous place since this invisible enemy could be anywhere,” says David Spiegel, a professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Stanford University. Interacting with your barber or bartender won’t be easy if you view them as potential carriers.

Masks & Gloves will become a staple wardrobe accessory. In fact, we are already seeing a new range of face masks to match our everyday wear.

Corona-boom babies. Will they be called Qaranteens or Coronials?

Childcare and domestic work will finally be recognized as essential work, too. In the past, these have often been invisible. But now we will be forced to acknowledge that taking care of the home and children is difficult, necessary work.

We may become better savers. Being stuck at home or out of work will call for a re-think of keeping a healthy financial safety net. Since the length of downturn is unknown, we will postpone non-essential purchases/expenses and holidays in order to conserve cash and focus on survival.

We will also recognize that we can do well with less or limited resources, be it grocery, vegetables or house-help.

Entertainment and social events will take a new form. Potlucks, board games and other living room entertainment instead of movies or restaurants could become the norm. A trip to a shopping mall will become a rare event and a form of celebration restricted to occasions.

Handshakes as a form of greeting will become a thing of the past as well as casual hugs and kisses. In fact, seeing people in films hugging, shaking hands, and kissing is already causing a frisson. Post Covid-19, people will be less keen to engage in physical ways to show politeness or affection.

The pandemic will create new taboos around personal hygiene and behaviors. Actions such as never coughing or sneezing into the open air or onto one’s hand, avoiding touching our faces, frequently washing hands and avoiding touching public objects will become part of Personal Protective Behaviors (PPB).

It will be a changed world and we will adapt to it as we have for centuries with the discovery of fire that forever changed our relationship with food or the advent of agriculture that changed our species and a planet of nomads to settlers or the industrial revolution that changed pretty much everything technologically, politically, socially, economically and culturally. As the saying goes, “necessity is the mother of invention,” and we will invent a new lifestyle with one and only one objective in mind and that is to SURVIVE!

Above all I hope we truly understand how are actions impact the world and recognize that life has sprung in our absence. Smog has lifted, fish have returned and so has wildlife. We have also felt the satisfaction of being of service to others. Our ears have opened to pay attention and exchange information from people who are not like us. Humbling us to the reality that we can't fix this by ourselves. It takes a village, it takes a world. We are not alone. Life is not singular; but plural.

Beyond the way we will adapt to survive, borrowing some ideas from Charis Nichols, I hope we acknowledge a bright orange sunrise. A wave to a neighbor. A call to a loved one. A greater understanding for the imprints our actions create. Gratitude for the work that lies ahead and for the work that’s behind us. Leaning into our communities and working together to support another. Moments of pause and reflection. More time spent walking and less stuck in traffic. A sense of belonging. A sense of hope amidst uncertainty. More fresh air and less air conditioning. Emails filled with how are you instead of let’s get this done. Time spent in the present. And, above all, compassion for ourselves and for our world.