Returning to “Normal”

As people continue to get vaccinated and we move closer and closer to something that is “normal” I hope that we remember the lessons we’ve learned during this pandemic.

Those who we rely on the most and are the most essential to our day to day survival are also those we as a society treat the worst.

We need not just liveable wages but wages that allow people to thrive, we need paid sick days, and we need to show more respect for just how difficult many of these mostly customer facing jobs are.

We’ve also seen the largest support program for those who couldn’t work in this nation’s history. Let’s also remember that an ability to work does not define one’s value. No one should be left to struggle due to an inability to work due to disability or any other factor.

In spite of a more and more global world our local communities need to band together. We’ve seen people rally to support local restaurants and businesses, we’ve seen local groups form to protect our local environments, we’ve witnessed neighbours grocery shopping for and taking care of neighbours. Let’s not lose sight of that.

We’ve seen almost everyone agree to temporarily put the collective good ahead of personal needs. Anthropologist Margaret Mead was once asked by a student what she considered to be the first sign of civilization in a culture. The student expected Mead to talk about fishhooks or clay pots or grinding stones. But no. Mead said that the first sign of civilization in an ancient culture was a femur (thighbone) that had been broken and then healed. Mead explained that in the animal kingdom, if you break your leg, you die. You cannot run from danger, get to the river for a drink or hunt for food. You are meat for prowling beasts. No animal survives a broken leg long enough for the bone to heal.”

If you take advantage of a patio today, be kind if service is a little slower than you remember, tip really well, say thank you and mean it. If we take nothing else positive from this pandemic let’s remember to be kinder to one another.

There are serious crises facing us, housing, food insecurity, growing racism and inequality but if we remember to approach the world as a society who wants to see everyone uplifted and not as individuals fighting alone we can overcome anything