Wishing life goes back to normal?

Let’s not do that!

What is “normal” anyway?

Why not move forward instead of going back?

How about taking things a step further?

What if we can choose differently?

What would a newly defined “normal” look like? 

What if we opened a door to more light!

This pandemic was caused partly by the virus and partly by our own shortcomings as individuals, as professionals and as societies. We have sort of allowed it to develop as it did. Through our lack of contingencies, our reluctance to see what was coming, our refusal to discipline ourselves in order to save lives, our fear of being perceived as fearful, we have given our consent.

What was done was done.

All this has revealed the weaknesses of our recent past. How about transforming them into the strengths of our near future? How about being clever enough to seize this opportunity to:

• Build new business models,
• Create more robust contingency plans,
• Establish more realistic business continuity practices,
• Upgrade our infrastructure,
• Revisit our emergency response mechanisms,
• Rethink our priorities.

The planet has taken a break from contamination and destruction. A few months were enough for atmospheric pollution over most places of the globe to almost disappear and for wildlife to start reclaiming their space. How quickly and easily does nature heal her wounds, if only we let it!

What else?

Scientists teamed together to study, test, advise, treat.

Citizens reached out to help their neighbors shop their groceries.

Complete strangers found support in each other connecting on the internet.

Is it any wise to go back to normal?

Is it even normal to go back to normal?

Is it clever to go back, pretending nothing has happened?

Or is it better to acknowledge it and use it as an eye-opening experience?

To capitalize on it so it doesn't go wasted?

So, please, let us not return to normal.

Let us return to Eden.

Koralia Timotheou, www.koraliatimotheou.com