Imagine If We Never Returned To Normal…
Imagine if the world never really returned to normal.
Imagine if we learnt from our mistakes and this time, shifted our behaviours towards that new kind of normal, that better kind of normal. A world where we worked more intentionally to keep that balance between the natural wonders and the human world. A world where we realised that we will always be inferior to mother nature, and that we need to respect her. Imagine if we continued to delight in the relief this crisis has brought to our planet. Did you know that pollution is down, and the effects of this are being seen across the world?
The canals in Venice are clearer than they’ve been in decades. These cleaner waters have attracted fish, dolphins and swans that have been spotted frolicking in the canals. Elsewhere, wildlife is slowly reappearing and biodiversity is starting to return.
The peaks of the Himalayas can now be seen from Punjab in India. This is the first time this has been possible in decades. Everywhere, the air quality is improving, and this greener planet of course means greener lungs for us all.
According to the Environmental Resource Economist, Marshall Burke, two months of pollution reduction in China is believed to have saved 77,000 lives. On top of that, New York researchers have found a 50% drop in carbon monoxide levels.
Flights are virtually down to zero which means carbon emissions are majorly reduced. And, with manufacturing and air travel slowing to a halt, the earth has had a chance to rejuvenate.
But our environment is only the beginning. Imagine if all these little blessings reshaped the way we view our world.
Since reading these facts, has it maybe crossed your mind that we should be living more sustainably, and giving our planet the chance to breathe? Imagine if we changed the way we ate and shopped, and continued to rely less heavily on supermarket chains, instead opting to support local grocers, or perhaps even starting gardens of our own. Imagine if we continued to source second-hand, preloved goods, which we have become accustomed to during the weeks our shops have been closed.
Imagine if this time revolutionised the meaning of connection. Imagine if we continued to create music from balconies, kept dancing on zoom and, at the end of day, realised which relationships are the ones that mean the most. Imagine if we continued to play board games and complete puzzles, realising that more humble and personal forms of connection are actually incredible fun.
Imagine if businesses realised that the innovations they were forced to undertake in this time were actually more streamlined and efficient? Businesses have had to reinvent themselves - for most, it has included a rapid digitalisation as they find new ways to survive. Imagine if these practices stuck. Imagine if we realised that meetings, conferences, and even things like court hearings could successfully be done online. This would reduce unnecessary interstate and international transport. It would enable people to work from home and be more independent. It would revolutionise the meaning of flexible workplaces, and allow people to create a life that is more on their terms.
Imagine if we kept this sense of gratitude. The one we developed when looking back at everything we took for granted before. Imagine if we remembered how thankful we were to hold hands, to frolic in the waves, and to take our loved ones out to dinner. Imagine if we took that newfound sense of gratitude into the future and gave it space to help reshape the way we view our world.
When you think about it like that, the pandemic has truly helped shift behavioural patterns, something that tends to be extremely ingrained and is one of the hardest things to alter. After a crisis, we get to rebuild, but we have choices around how we do this. Once we have saved our people from the pandemic, let’s continue to save mother nature from ourselves. Besides, throughout corona, we have already figured out just how that can be done.
Let me leave you with a thought. Perhaps the crises of 2020 aren’t separate tragedies, but two interconnected events. Imagine if it’s a message from our planet, loud and clear, telling us things need to be different. Imagine if we chose to harness these opportunities and things we have learnt, and created lasting change, for our planet and for our future. Imagine what a world that would be.