Life in NYC Post-Pandemic: Are We There Already?

The pandemic is far from having an end. In New York however, as we cope with the idea of a foreseeable future of mask-wear and social distancing, we seem to be rushing back to some sense of normality. Right this second, the priority seems to be figuring out what "the new normal" will look like. The numbers of Covid-19 cases have dropped and the news has reported our first day of 0 registered deaths caused by Coronavirus, which sounds like good news except for the fact that other states are still struggling as their statistics reach the peak of the curve we have all tried to avoid. Going back to socialization can be triggering for some and be a relief for others. Either way, as we witnessed the city of New York that had fallen into a long and deep coma wakes up again, we marvel at the possibility of having our lives back. Which raises the question: are we going back to normalcy? And there's an even more important one: is it safe to?

As we try out new habits and get rid of old ones, life designs itself in front of us and what have we learned since then? Many of us have left the Big Apple and have gone to smaller towns, quieter towns. Industries in the most diverse fields have adapted and so have we. As many of us are contemplating the nuances and adaptabilities of working remotely, some of us managed to stay in New York, either for unconditional love for their city or for the hope that things will look better anytime soon. Is "the new normal" believing? 

Let's say that, hypothetically, an effective vaccine for Covid-19 has been announced, would we simply go back to our regular lives as if nothing has ever happened? Historically, it takes decades to permanently change a society and yet, we are still fighting some really old habits such as racism, homophobia or violence against women. The point is if we can not guarantee that we will change the behavior that generated this whole pandemic situation, why are we so eager to get back to normalcy instead of thinking about ways to educate ourselves so a pandemic never happens again? There are many nuances under the umbrella of this subject that we must address if we want the world to actually change.

We certainly can not change everything at once but, taking time to reconsider old habits and new ones, choices in life, business we purchase from, etc, is a beginning. The list is vast but we must do the work we are responsible for. This is a small portion of the greater picture of this problem but, it is worth it to take a look into. It is a good starter to look critically and considerably at how we behave in society: what and where we purchase; how we treat people; what is our relationship with privilege and what we are doing about it; can that vacation trip to Europe wait? Can that trip to the country to see a beloved one wait? More important than asking ourselves these questions is to think about them collectively. Because if there is one thing this pandemic has shown us is that there is no such a thing as a wall setting us apart. As an unified worldwide nation, we either gather together to defeat Covid-19 or we're all going to sink. Haven't we lost enough already?

Ultimately, whatever work we do right now, we might not be able to see it in the long run. It is kind and generous to think though, that every effort we make here will reflect an improvement for the generations yet to come. To that end, I would like to propose an exercise: think of someone you love more than anything, now imagine that this person will be born two generations ahead in a healthier and happier world. If you could somehow travel to the future to meet them and tell what you have done that contributed to this world of theirs, what would you like to be able to say? At the end of the day, one's work might change the reality of the society they live in, one's collective work with their equals though might change an entire civilization.