Will 2021 Be Normal?
What is normal, and at what point does normal hold us back from growing? If we look at a normal for 2020, which normal do we use as a benchmark? The normal of African countries? Or the normal of European nations? Or, perhaps, the normal of the United States? Normal is a vague, baseless word that has no absolute meaning. Asking “will 2021 will be normal” is like asking “are we normal?” The answer lies in the question’s beholder. Instead, we should ask: Do we want to go back to the life we lived before?
The chaos of 2020 is not new. The struggles we are encountering have been there all throughout our existence. The pandemic exacerbated some aspects and surfaced a lot of systemic problems. It highlighted the gross inequalities that exist, the inequalities that hold most individuals back from achieving successes that can affect the world. Since humans evolved, our animal brains have driven our decisions. Our prefrontal cortex is developing, and it isn’t ‘normal’ for us to rely on our executive brain to decide. We are developing and growing, learning to adapt to whatever new normal to survive our environments. Isn’t it time we learn to create a new normal that is fair and just? A new normal we create that can withstand any global and natural emergency? A new normal where we can cultivate everyone’s intellect and brain power?
Humanity has entered a period of globalization. Whether we like it, we cannot ignore the struggles on the other side of the world. Their catastrophes will affect us. Whether it is a natural disaster which will affect weather patterns or a civil war and supply chains; we are all on this planet together. We need all the brain power we can get to create and/or find solutions that will allow us, and our children’s generations, to stay safe.
Change is scary. The unknown is scary. But our known is even scarier. We are amid apocalyptic climate change. This is a certainty. ‘Once in a lifetime storms’ are happening yearly. Sometimes quarterly. No country is rich enough to repair billions of dollars’ worth of damage. No human can regularly handle the emotional devastation and possible PTSD from surviving such disasters. It is time to care and love ourselves by accepting change is necessary. Going back to normal will put us on an unsustainable path.
Change is love. Change is bravery. Change is saying: enough is enough, and we deserve better. We created the world as we know it. Our ancestors used their imagination to create a better system for their descendents to grow and cultivate. However, we have dropped the ball and become stagnant. We are in a rut; even Hollywood is producing constant remakes.
With every massive shift, as we have experienced in 2020, comes a beautiful opportunity to create a new normal. A novel way of life. Here is our opportunity to dream of a better world for all. To come together and demand it. Because only together can we move towards a brighter, more inclusive and fair future.
