The New Normal
“We’ll get through this together.”
“In times like these. . . “
“We’re here to help you.”
Are you as sick as me of hearing commercials talking about this stuff? Car commercials, fast food commercials, appliance commercials, they’re all using their marketing dollars to show us that they understand how we feel, and they can help us with whatever problems we have. Need a new car? We can help you with contactless delivery. Need dinner? We can get you that with contactless delivery. Blah, blah I’m tired of the trite.
This is indeed a unique time in US History, but many of us are fortunate enough to still be able to do some kinds of work and maintain safety at home. And yet it is not easy! After two months, I think we are all past ready to stare at strangers for a little while.
But I’m continuing to resist that urge. As much as I want to help the economy, I want to not be the reason someone gets COVID. As a healthy person under 65, I am fearful that I would be the one to give it to my family or your family just by being in the world, even though I do wear a mask (which should not be a partisan thing, by the way).
The truth is that it comes down to one thing ̶ you either think we are all connected and living in a community, or you think you are an island. You may be able to function as an island for a while, but at what cost? Why is your desire to sit inside McDonalds and eat dinner or go without a mask at Costco worth more than someone else’s life, potentially? Isn’t it an easy sacrifice to make knowing that it really could keep someone alive?
So I’ll keep wearing the mask, washing my hands, wiping down surfaces and using hand sanitizer for the foreseeable future. I hate that phrase, “the new normal,” but if the pandemic has taught us anything, it is that nothing stays the same. We are in a new normal on a daily basis, so we need to find a way to get comfortable with the chaos ̶ me included.
Posted by Jennifer Seal
May 14, 2020