“We can’t return to normal because the normal that we had was precisely the problem”

Photo: graffiti on the Hong Kong subway …. “We can’t return to normal because the normal that we had was precisely the problem”

Where will we be in 6 months time, in a year’s time, in 10 years time?

Who knows given that we don’t know where we will be in 2 weeks time?

For now ….

The only certainty about the current crisis is that it will pass. We have to remember that all crises end eventually. All bad things come to an end.

By the time this global pandemic and health emergency is over, there will have been a lot more deaths, immeasurable grief and immense suffering and hardship. 

But it will end and that is not a bad thought for us to cling on to. 

As the truly inspirational Captain Tom Moore said: “That’s the way I think I’ve always looked at things: tomorrow will be a good day.”

So, how ever hard it is, we must try and keep things in perspective, not panic and see an opportunity in every setback. 

On hopes and dreams ….

The world is still out there, as big and as intriguing as it’s ever been. 

The time will come eventually when those of us who love to travel will pack our bags and venture out once more. That time might come later in 2020 or it might come in 2021 but it will come.

Right now, it seems a lifetime away but, whilst we wait indoors, we can hope and dream and, yes, plan for trips and adventures to see wonderful landscapes and amazing wildlife. 

What a moment it will be when we can finally travel once again. After this terrible period in human history is finally over, it will feel very special indeed. 

On how we live (and survive) as a global community ….

One thing is clear: there will be no going back to normal.

We can not go back to "business as usual". 

Individualism, nationalism, free market economics and fake news can not defeat this global pandemic.

Instead, in a health emergency, it is common purpose, community, collectivism, social partnership and robust science that is stepping up. We have seen what we can achieve working together and thinking differently. 

Right now many of us simply want things to return to normal but the reality is that some things have changed for ever. The months and years ahead will not be easy but together humanity has the chance to build a new normal.

Whether we like it or not, we will need to do things differently. But we do have a choice about how this is done …. in fear or in hope.

What kind of historical moment will this turn out to be? It could lead us to the best of times but it could lead us to the worst of times.

We need progressive governments around the world to lead us. We need to get rid of autocratic and reactionary populists (you know who you are) and we need to reject self-indulgent, self-destructive, nationalist fantasy projects such as Brexit and America First.

We can use this opportunity to reconstruct and produce something far better for everyone and everything on our planet. But we need to be vigilant and ensure that we do not slide into something far worse.

In the past, pandemics, and indeed global wars, have forced us to break with our past and imagine and recreate our world in a different way. This time is going to be no different.

We will soon reach a fork in the road.

We can take one way and drag behind us our prejudices, our hatreds, our selfishness, our insatiable greed, our hoarding of wealth, our waste and wastefulness, our destruction of the natural world and biodiversity, our climate wrecking and our redundant economics and politics.

Alternatively, we can take the other way and tread more lightly and respectfully on our planet and fight for a better and more humane world. 

Emerging from this truly global pandemic and health emergency, we have a real opportunity to shape our 21st century world and beyond through global solidarity and international co-operation in ways that are clean, green, healthy, socially just, safe and more resilient for the benefit of all humanity.

Collectivism should be for life, not just in a crisis.

It should be abundantly clear what we need to do and what we must do.

“Hope is not optimism, which expects things to turn out well, but something rooted in the conviction that there is good worth working for.” - Seamus Heaney 

“We have lived our lives by the assumption that what was good for us would be good for the world. We have been wrong. We must change our lives so that it will be possible to live by the contrary assumption, that what is good for the world will be good for us. And that requires that we make the effort to know the world and learn what is good for it.” - Wendell Berry

💚🦆 🦉 🌼 🌳💚
Stay safe, stay well, stay strong, stay connected with nature