Return to "Normalcy:" An Original Podcast Script

This is a script I wrote for potential inclusion in the podcast series "A Moment of Your Time." It's a fantastic podcast with incredibly short episodes where writers, artists, and storytellers show off what they can do, and you should definitely check out the show. I actually entered twice, also submitting an original song, but I never received a response back from the show. Because of this, I wanted to publish the script I wrote for the show here. I've edited it for clarity, but the points are the same. I really hope you enjoy it.

Right now, we live in a time of unprecedented change. Our routines have been modified on a daily basis as a result of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Everyone has had to make constant adjustments in order to minimize the number of COVID infections across the globe and keep their loved ones safe. Along with that, after the death of George Floyd, many of us, including myself, are realizing how naïve and borderline ignorant we've been about the various racial issues that have been plaguing the world and the United States in particular for hundreds of years. It's a time of anger and mourning to a degree that the modern world has never had to face before. Many people have said there is no way we can return to normal after the virus is beaten, and to a certain extent, I agree. The pandemic has remolded our economy and politics and caused problems that could (and probably will) take years to fix. Along with that, returning back to the naivety of the prevalence of institutional racism in our country would be incredibly counterproductive at best and morally misguided at worse. However, returning back to our normal lives doesn't necessarily mean trying to completely revert back to our old system. As individuals, there are plenty of things we miss having that we always took for granted when we had them. We want to be able to safely see and come into contact with other people. We want to go to a movie, play sports, participate in extracurricular activities, or even just go back to school or work to see our friends. Being unable to safely see the people in our lives has created a global feeling of isolation that the world has never felt before. To me, reverting back to normal means being able to get those things back. It doesn't mean forgetting or unlearning what it was like to experience this global isolation. It doesn't mean ignoring the overwhelming amount of work we still have to do in order to truly eliminate racism in this country. It means that once we can get our old daily routines back, interact with other people without needing a mask, and put the fears of a pandemic behind us, we can take what we've experienced over the past couple of months and learn from it. We can continue to educate ourselves, donate to or somehow support causes we believe in, and find ways to work together to strive for a new normal. In this new normal, we can gain our former daily activities back while also recognizing the errors and inequities we've made as a society and making change toward a better future for everyone. Will it take a lot of work from all of us in order to achieve that new normal? Of course it will. Worldwide change doesn't happen overnight because of a few people. It takes a lot of energy, time, support, and activism from everyone. But do I believe that it's possible if we're all somehow able to listen to each other's perspectives and work towards finding a common ground? Absolutely. I've always had faith in this country, this planet, and the people who live in it. I feel that as a country and as a society, we're more open to accepting change than ever before. Let's continue working together to make that change happen.