THERE’S this part of me that says indeed, I’m just glad everything seems to be back on track and it really feels like we’re headed back to where we left off, pre-covid. Whether them soothsayers begin calling this as the new normal or merely a most welcome return to the old normal, I don’t care. Just as long as we’re finally out of the woods. Or whatever. Then, there’s this more subdued side of me that warns to be cautious. It harps, always keep in mind that in reality, the pandemic is not yet over. One percent or twenty-two percent remains some say, but nevertheless, it still lingers and you have to always remember that bit about Murphy’s Law. Or that sticker that says “sh_t happens.”
Add to this a nagging feel that perhaps two years must have given me a softie attitude or worse, the scaredy-bear syndrome which I imagine in almost everyone I meet. At the very least, being cautious is a good thing, as all obsessive-compulsives out there agree. A close friend seems pleased, “See, now everyone’s washing their hands and being conscious of their health! Isn’t that a good thing?”
Two years ago, who would have imagined that, like in some other Asian countries, a majority of the population would leave their houses fully-masked, or much less, dare to enter a bank fully-covered even? Indeed, being cooped up for the duration of the deadly run of Covid-19, with social distancing dictating your every move, these feelings of paranoia can do that to you.
So, what’s next? Is this the part where a renewal is in order? While there are those who have already embraced the changes, the question whether as a people, we’ve grown wiser because of what we have gone through, still hangs in the air. I even believe that now, with so many things happening all once, that does not seem important anymore. “We’ll see” already seems to be the most general thinking at the moment.
For one thing, there’s the coming national elections to think about. The same query applies. Is this another ‘renewal’ in the offing? I remember in the last national elections, the clamor was to break down the corruptive old ways and instill relevant changes that would serve the majority. Even with all that we now see around us, it seems that there is really no filling this cup. I don’t see this dissatisfaction as an after-effect of covid, now way, it’s just pure and simple, human nature.
There’s no satisfying this animal. No matter how many times we control-alt-delete our system in order to come up with a much cleaner vibe, I wouldn’t go the full extent to say we’re hopeless. But we’re getting there.
