I can’t help but think of the notion of time amidst this crisis. Time is, by nature, a linear thing. It keeps on’ chugging along like a Chattanooga choo-choo.  No matter what anyone or anything does, it continues to march along temporally. I firmly believe this is actually what makes time such a wonderful and beneficial thing. It is the singularity from which any and all growth comes from. Perhaps one way of putting it, is that it is a necessary evil. Without it, perspective, hindsight, growth, and meaning could not exist. Yep – that’s Time. The idea of “going back” is not possible. But this is certainly not a bad thing, time forces us to face our problems without option. Before us is a great big gnarly pandemic and similar to time, things “going back” will not be possible until we face the problem head on. Although socially, a vaccine we may be able to open everything again, one thing is certain: We will have gone through something that has given us perspective and growth. We will be changed as a result of COVID-19 and we cannot ‘un-live’ it.

I have heard a lot of speculation about what the future may hold relative to the returning to what we are used to, socially. I think the best way to asses this is to look at the outbreak of the disease. Back when there only were a handful of cases in the united states (relative to now), schools were completely shut down. Unless we have an effective and reliable treatment, it would be next to impossible to return to former capacity if a deadly infection is still lingering. J.V. Last, a writer for the Bulwark, states the belief that “lifting stay at home orders will allow people to get back to normal routines” is complete “fantasy” and a “fallacy.” This is because of the aforementioned fact – without a vaccine, reopening does not equate to a return to normal. It is “not possible” until a treatment is found (“We Cannot ‘Reopen’ America”).  The question remains – what are we to do during this time? It is during times like these that change can be enacted quickly and properly, be that treaties or legislation of any magnitude. This is a time where we should take a long hard look at ourselves.

Edward Fishman, a former member of the State Department, discusses the importance of a dire time like this: “At rare moments, confidence in the old order collapses and humanity is left with a vacuum” (“The World Order Is Dead”). It is when a great darkness envelops around what has been, that life and “how individuals interact with the world” is liable to change. U.S. leaders have the opportunity “twice a century” to build “an order that actually works for our times.” This order tackles issues that are pervasive, like “climate change, cyber threats” and more challenges that face us as a nation. If done right, we can leverage this horrible situation and use it to take us to new heights that no one has ever seen globally. It’s a bit odd, how much change happens when we aren’t trying to enact (e.g. a pandemic). It begs the question of how much good we could do if we all actively tried to make change, with solidarity.

As a college student, I cant help but wonder how this affects those who have recently graduated or are (possibly) near that phase of their life. Many speculate that an economic recession is imminent for “years to come.” That being said, if the current government proves to not be incompetent, it is possible to “mitigate the damages.” (“Generation C Has Nowhere to Turn”). As J. Allen from ForeignPolicy points out, the only thing that we actually know with certainty is that there will be a “profound difference” in the way we live our lives in the near future (“How the World Will Look After the Corona virus Pandemic”).

Works Cited:

Last, J. V. (2020, April 24). We Cannot “Reopen” America. Retrieved from https://thebulwark.com/we-cannot-reopen-america/

Heath, R. (n.d.). The World Order Is Dead. Here’s How to Build a New One for a Post-Coronavirus Era. Retrieved from https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2020/05/03/the-post-coronavirus-world-order-230042

Mull, S. by A. (2020, April 22). Generation C Has Nowhere to Turn. Retrieved from https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2020/04/how-coronavirus-will-change-young-peoples-lives/609862/ (<- A good read)

Allen, J., Burns, N., Garrett, L., Haass, R. N., Ikenberry, G. J., Mahbubani, K., … Walt, S. M. (2020, March 20). How the World Will Look After the Coronavirus Pandemic. Retrieved from https://foreignpolicy.com/2020/03/20/world-order-after-coroanvirus-pandemic/

How coronavirus will change the US, from where we live to the way we connect. (2020, April 28). Retrieved from https://www.csmonitor.com/USA/2020/0428/How-coronavirus-will-change-the-US-from-where-we-live-to-the-way-we-connect

In this instance, the pillow is symbolic of the Corona virus