We always did feel the same, we just saw it from a different point of view

I wanted to write about something other than the coronavirus pandemic, but everything comes back to that, in one way or another. Because we are in it, and it has already changed us, changed our future. This is one of those big events. We are living through a history lesson right now. And not not for the first time. This has already joined 9/11 and the 2007-2009 financial crisis as defining moments in my life, ones that have changed how we live, work, and exist in this world.

People keep saying they want things to go "back to normal". I don't know what they mean. Why? How? Aren't the social and financial consequences of this pandemic caused by what we thought was normal before? Even the pandemic itself spread in part due to mass travel. So why would we go back to the exact same circumstances? Too many people were already stressed, depressed, and broke. So why can't we shift our perspective? Why can't we treat each other with more kindness? Why can't we recognize the inherent human dignity in our fellow citizens of the planet? Why can't we have fair compensation and reasonable work hours for everyone? 

I know I am a hippie/ lefty/ idealist type. I don't need anyone to tell me that. But I don't think those are insults. I do believe that we can be better. Even if it's not perfect, why not try? If something isn't working, don't we owe it to ourselves to at least try to make it better? We are not just numbers on a balance sheet. Human beings all have inherent value. And I am not someone out of tough with the real world. I know businesses need to make a profit. I understand that. But I am tired of hearing billionaires say they don't have enough money to provide living wages. I am tired of hearing that when stock prices are soaring. Why do shareholders get all the benefits, not the actual people doing the work?

I know just posting some opinions on the internet won't change anything. But I do believe that we owe it to ourselves and to each other to think about how we can live better going forward. Because this is it. This is the life that we have, and we don't know how long it will last. We are not just a business expense to try to reduce. I have sat in too many meetings listening to people say that labour is the easiest cost to reduce. That doesn't work for me anymore. I cannot accept that attitude anymore. Humans can be amazing. And yes, they can also be awful. And there absolutely needs to be consequences for awful behaviour. But there should also be benefits for being kind, for being honest. 

I don't have all the answers. I don't really have any. That said, I do not what I believe in. I am trying to be kinder, to live a life of integrity. Because I truly believe that we deserve better than our old version of normal.