Virus will change what is ‘normal’

So, a woman asked the other day, when do you think things will get back to normal?

Good question.

But first you have to define “normal.”

One thing that ‘s become clear about the COVID-19 pandemic is it is changing the world, fundamentally and perhaps forever.

No one knows, of course, when we’ll be at the moment we can say that the dust has settled. The sooner the better.

But when that occurs, the world will also know the whole nightmare is likely to happen again.

The 1918 influenza pandemic was the subject for history books. SARS and H1N1 were ghosts on the horizon, but most of the global community crossed its fingers and hoped that the truly deadly threat would never materialize.

To be sure, there were preparedness exercises and planning. But it all seemed a little far-fetched, a little too “Twilight Zone” to intrude so brutally on our daily lives.

Now, it’s all too real.

And going forward, it’s safe to say there will be some significant impact:

•Global travel, especially for tourism, can be expected to take a hit. The world has seemed smaller and smaller in recent years. Look for that to change dramatically.

•Globalization of commerce is going to have to be re-examined. We already live in a world when the emerald ash borer can devastate Indiana forests after hitching a ride from Asia in a shipping container. COVID-19 followed a different path with a far greater human cost.

•Preparedness is going to have to jump to an entirely new level. Shortages of masks, personal protective equipment and ventilators should never have happened. With a little foresight, they’ll never happen again.

•Communication between governments — honest, frank communication — is a problem that’s going to have to be solved. No country can make sound decisions when other countries are fudging their numbers.

•Something is going to have to be done — short of government censorship — about the flood of misinformation and disinformation that can quickly make a bad situation worse.

And that’s just a short list.

But not all of the impact will be negative.

•Families are already saying that things like a stay-at-home order can help bring them together.

•Social media networks, which are often toxic, have helped people stay connected at a difficult time.

•The importance of factual reporting from independent sources has been reaffirmed at a time when it was under fire.

Most importantly, we’ve all been reminded of our own mortality and the mortality of our loved ones.

We’ve all been reminded of how fragile life is.

It’s the one lesson that will endure when all this has passed. — J.R.