2020

What a year 2020 has been so far. We’ve all heard and read about the Coronavirus for months now, and it has obviously changed everyone’s lives in one way or another. Some lives have been devastated by it; others just feel more inconvenienced. No matter how Covid-19 has affected you, we’re all hoping to get things back to normal soon!

But what if things never get back to “normal” like we want? What if 2020 is a tipping point in the history of the world? In 100 years, will people look back at this time like we look back at the Spanish Flu pandemic of 1918?

It’s scary to think that our lives may never be the same as they were last year. It for sure will never be the same for the thousands of families who have lost loved ones to this terrible illness. Or for the hundreds of small businesses that have had to close across the United States. Especially the businesses (large and small) that face bankruptcy — if they haven’t already.

I wonder though, will things ever be the same for those of us that haven’t felt the tragedy of the virus in such monumental ways? My gut tells me no, it’s never going to be the same. Not that it’s always going to be bad, just that it’s never going to be the same as before.

Even if this version of the Coronavirus tames down sometime in the future, what if this is just a preview of other viruses that may come our way?

I think it’s time that we, as a community, start figuring out how to adapt better to living in a world with such dire illnesses. This whole Covid-19 virus has been a whirlwind that our government and medical leaders have basically just had to react to. This virus has overwhelmed us all and taken us by surprise with its ferocity.

We are going to need to start being more proactive instead of reactive. We need to use the past 6 months as a learning tool on how to deal with a world-wide pandemic, so we’re better prepared just in case it happens again in the future.

It is time to start preparing for a new world because our old world is gone forever.

One thing we need to learn how to deal with is the economy. It is unfeasible and unfair to shut down the majority of businesses for such long periods of time. People need to work to support their families. Schools need to be open to teach our children. We need to determine a way to do this safely for everyone involved. I understand why they are shutting things down now, there is no alternate plan in place. We need an alternate plan.

If Walmart, Target and other essential stores can stay open and be safe, why can’t every store? As long as every store has an alternate safety plan in place, then every store should be able to remain open.

I remember when I was in school, we had fire drills in case of a fire. Unfortunately, with all of the school shootings that have taken place, schools have had to adapt and now have school shooting drills. If they can adapt to that, they can adapt and create a safety plan around viruses.

The travel industry definitely needs to become proactive and adapt to this new “normal.” The airlines and cruise lines are being devastatingly affected with no traveling. Thousands upon thousands of employees are going to be let go because of this virus. Again, the airlines learned to adapt after 9/11. They need to learn to adapt again.

Another issue that I feel needs to be addressed is the health of people everywhere. We are constantly hearing about how badly this virus affects people with underlying conditions. Maybe this is a wake-up call for some to work on these underlying conditions if possible. I know some are hereditary or issues that people are just born with.

But let’s face it — a lot of the issues we bring on ourselves. Obesity, and all of its related illnesses, is a major problem all over the world.

The number of obese people in the world total is approximately 2.1 billion, which makes up about 30% of the total population. This number continues to rise. Over 3 million people each year die from obesity. The worldwide obesity rate has tripled since 1975. — World Population Review

Maybe this Coronavirus is a sign that it’s time for people to start taking better care of themselves. Start eating healthier and working out. Losing weight and reducing the risk of some of these underlying conditions of obesity.

It’s also time for the medical community to start doing a better job of supporting people in their weight loss, instead of just prescribing medications to control those underlying conditions. Doctors and patients need to work closely together to tackle weight loss and improve the patient’s overall health.

I know none of these issues are going to be easy to work on, but they are necessary. We need to start learning how to live in this new world and not just be in survival mode like we are now. We need to face this adaption hurdle head on and tackle it with the fierceness that makes us humans the amazing creatures we are!