Embracing normal
“Normal is relative.” That was my response to a text message sent to me by a long-time friend. Knowing that I am part of the team that mans the frontlines in Antipolo City during the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) period, he asked me if I am “excited” by the thought that “things will all go back to normal, sooner or later.”
My friend asked me if I was joking. I said I was merely stating a reality I may have just recently discovered: Yes, “normal” is relative.
Whether it be that “normal” is “old” or “new,” the fact is that it is relative.
By “relative,” we mean it is based on a certain set of norms. “Norm” refers to the way most people behave in a certain community or society. It is our “common behavior.” “Norms” are defined by circumstances. When circumstances change, so do the way we behave collectively.
It usually takes a generation or two before “norms” change.
For example, our elders in Rizal used to tell us that, before the Second World War, the homes of Filipinos were mostly open to strangers who needed a drink, some food, or even shelter.
“Hospitality” and “trust” were the “norm.” It was “normal” to be kind to strangers.
That norm appears to have been relegated to the background after the war. The cruelty of battle seems to have caused so much pain that “hospitality” and “unconditional trust” ceased to be the “common behavior.” They stopped being the “norm.” Decades following that war, our more common behavior can be described as “suspicious” or “overly cautious.” We built higher fences, installed alarms, and we scrutinized strangers who knocked at our doors.
It must have taken the passage of two generations to create that kind of “normal.”
Today, it took a mere two months to transform and redefine our common behavior.
Before the lockdown, it was “normal” for us to be “mobile.” We complained much about the traffic jams because we valued highly our ability to move physically from one place to the other. We travelled to our places of work and to the venues where we met up with friends.
Just more than two months ago, it was “normal” for us to express affirmation and affection for the people who matter in our lives and business physically. We shook hands vigorously; we gave high fives and fist bumps liberally. We hugged. We did a lot of “beso.”
Just more than two months ago, it was “normal” for us to wade through crowds in malls and in events venues. It was common behavior to be where people converged for business and for leisure.
Today, those behaviors would no longer be considered “normal.” The “old” is gone; a “new normal” has come.
No, we did not all of a sudden become “anti-social.” For the record, we did not distance socially. In fact, we experienced a higher level of social interaction under the “new normal.”
It was just the platform of our social interaction which changed. We moved from physical to virtual.
If this is the “new normal,” shouldn’t we have done this long before the advent of the pandemic? Shouldn’t we now embrace it?
The virtual – or online — platform has serious limitations. It also has a host of advantages.
Online conversations and interaction are technically “highly interactive.” However, they do not have the same “warmth” as the face-to-face conversation in a physical venue. The computer camera, while great at capturing the minutest visual detail of our faces, does a poor job at transmitting the hidden emotions in our eye movements, gestures, and body language.
It does have a lot of advantages. You must have noticed that during the lockdown period, we were seeing more of each other. We were exchanging messages more often. Sometimes, the messages were not exactly pleasant nor affirming. Regardless, the fact remains that we never distanced socially. The digital platform kept our interaction going.
The digital platform did one more thing. It kept us productive during this period.
I know of a lot of friends who benefited from the many webinars – free! – that are being held in the Internet nearly every hour every day. I was told that tons of learning materials are being downloaded for free in social media through these webinars. The subject matter experts sharing both knowledge and experience through these online learning sessions are definitely doing their share of “bayanihan.”
If this is the “new normal,” why should we not embrace it?
One such subject matter expert known to me personally told me that he has been busier during the lockdown period than he was before. He is doing more learning sessions, imparting knowledge and skills more often, and reaching out to a greater number of people.
He is able to do this right from where he is quarantined. He has become more productive and no longer has to suffer the ordeal of traffic.
This is what the digital platform has done for learning and for those who make learning happen.
If this is the “new normal,” why should we not embrace it?
The digital platform has also provided many entrepreneurs a powerful showcase for their products and services. It is said that the wise businessman spots two things: First, the places where the biggest number of people pass by, and the places where the biggest number of people converge. This is where they put their wares on display.
Today, that place is social media.
That is where they get orders for the food they cook, the cakes they bake, the gadgets they create. This display area is practically free. Here they are assured of a large number of passers-by. Here, small enterprises thrive. Those who chose to be creative than to be miserable are making money today from this opportunity.
If this is part of the “new normal,” why should we not embrace it?