Look, I don’t think all the think pieces doing the rounds about how there “won’t be a new normal” or a “going back to normal” are either helpful or correct. Of course everything is different after widespread national trauma - but humans are resilient and amazing creatures.

I don’t think we should WANT to “return to normal”, in so far as a retraction of work capabilities we have suddenly discovered actually ARE possible, or of being more cognizant of one another’s personal space, or taking care of each other and coming together for our communities

But I don’t think there is anything wrong with making sensible precautions against future infections a social norm (masks/gloves on as-needed basis, social distancing at will, etc), not does that seem dystopic to me.

If by “not normal”, we mean that we will now finally move ahead on the societal supports for anyone who needs it, caring for our sick and unemployed and underemployed, housing our homeless, etc- I am fine with that kind of change. I think it’s critical & necessary.

“Life as we knew it” was over after the 1918 pandemic when half the world population died AND there was a world war. It was over after WWII. It was over after 9/11. Will there be change? Of course there will. We’ll learn, adapt, and help each other through it.

Some might point out that post-9/11 changes were largely headass, and it is difficult to argue - but we now know what that particular brand of headass looks like, and can collectively decide we’re not doing that ever again.

(For example: what we are NOT gonna do is rehab Shrub.)

Anyway. Remind me of this thread when I’m feeling hopeless again shortly, but right now, I want to reassure folks that, unless there really IS a world-ending asteroid that takes us out in May (in which case we’ll all be blissfully unaware shortly anyway), survivors gonna survive.