An optimist's guide to the near future

All of us have been wondering if things will return to normal once the pandemic has passed. The scientific consensus is that we have another year, maybe two. What could possibly change in a year or two?  

Already things have changed, and I’m not sure they’ll ever go completely back to the way they were. They say it takes at least 18 days to create a new habit and 66 for it to become automatic. It’s been almost 90 days now since the lock-down, and I’d say our new habits are going to be hard to kick. 

Let’s start with technology. If we were addicted to technology before the pandemic, we’re going to be cyborgs by the time this is all over. As Jerry Seinfeld jokes in his new stand-up special, we don’t use our phones – our phones use us. That Uber ride was your phone hitching a ride on you to get where it needed to go. 

Technology has shown us we don’t need to actually be with people. Face-to-face time is so pre-pandemic. Now we have Zoom! Where we all talk at once as somewhat familiar faces flash across the screen. Zoom fatigue is a real condition, where people tire from viewing pixelated, delayed facial expressions. Why do you keep looking at me with that frozen-in-time grimace?

Perhaps it’s time to return to some old-fashioned technology like the telephone. As a teenager I used to spend hours on the phone, and never once did I come down with “phone fatigue.” But kids don’t even know how to use that anymore. On the rare occasion a phone call is warranted, I have to tell my 12-year-old to actually put the phone up to her ear. She looks at me curiously, as though I’ve asked her to put a banana to the side of her face.

At least at school, kids have to give up their screens for a portion of the day. If online learning were to continue, kids will lose out on all the intangibles of classroom learning. The raucous shouting for attention. The invisible sound of children falling behind. The teachers on the verge of chucking chalk at students (maybe this only happened when I went to school).

Then there’s the work-from-home revolution. 

When this all began, many of my co-workers expressed a difficult time working from home. There were kids. There were spouses. There were Internet connection and distraction issues. 

 Now we’ve become far too comfortable working in our pajamas. Even those with small kids are doing better – the kids have adjusted, and now surely play by themselves. The novelty of having parents home 24/7 can only last so long. 

Businesses are now looking at ways to maintain a permanent, partially remote workforce. This will give them greater flexibility in hiring talent and save on costs. American companies are already looking to Canadians for hire, as we are not only smarter but less costly. 

Lastly, we've kicked our addiction to travel. We all love to travel, but we know it harms the Earth, especially the flying. Commuting is not only bad for the air, but it's a waste of our time. Savings to municipalities and human health could be huge if even a small percentage of people continue to work remotely. 

Then we can continue to enjoy the extra time we have around home... with our family... our kids... our pets....

In this new world, the sky's the limit – within stringent boundaries, of course.