Can we look forward to a new normal that is better than before?

Before the pandemic the idea of any dramatic change in our simple lives would be unthinkable.  In the last few months we’ve seen such rapid changes in such a short amount of time.  The coronavirus has rebooted every aspect of life as we know it.

It is the truth of the world that it takes a great disruption in society for things to change dramatically out of necessity.  Disruption is similar to innovation in healthcare – it literally can uproot and change how we think and practice.  There is often talk about disrupters entering our social life, but the truth is that perhaps the biggest disrupter our civilization has ever seen is not a new emerging technology or organization but the Covid-19 pandemic.  COVID-19 is now probably the biggest disruptive force in the last century; more so than any single person or idea.  It has made us redesign health services across the world.

Can we look forward to a new normal that is better than before?  Perhaps the simplest question, has the most complex answer. It is also the question on everybody’s lips.  What comes next?  What does the new-normal of tomorrow look like?

When we look at the impact of disruption a classic example of this will be what happens at the end of this year:  Virtual thanksgiving meals!  Virtual Christmas celebrations for families!  Online holidays shopping instead of usual malls ambiances!!!!  The shift from the usual face-to-face gatherings to the unusual “faceless “celebrations is what one of the things that will make COVID 19 unforgettable (and unforgivable).

If you take a cultural analogy, you know, the adaptive organization will say ‘okay, what we have learned from this?  How do we adapt what we do in light of that [learning]?’  It is in Trusting God’s providence and His mercy upon us that our lives find their meaning.  God’s words make it possible for us to look forward and hope for a normalcy that will be better than before.