The future starts now... or maybe tomorrow
One of the interesting things that has resulted from the arrival of COVID-19 has been the increase in the use of the term “futurist.” All of a sudden there has been a parallel pandemic of intellectuals lining up to tell us what will likely happen to the economy, social interaction, the climate, education and our political structure when the virus finally runs its course.
These specialists in “futurology” – yes it even has a nifty sounding scientific name - are not to be confused with seers or gypsy fortune tellers or astrologists who merely gaze into your eyes, scan your palm and tell you there’s a tall, dark man in your future. No, they actually spend a large amount of time analyzing statistics and searching history for clues as to what kinds of things happen following any disaster.
The most famous look into the future came from the French astronomer and physician Michel de Nostredame, better known by the Latin version of his name, Nostradamus. He was what was generally regarded as a scientist during the early 1500s. Nostradamus couldn’t stick with the facts however, and wrote Les Prophéties, a collection of poetic predictions that is still being consulted by the intellectually challenged right around the world. According to the true believers, Nostradamus accurately predicted everything from the First World War to the rise of Donald Trump. Fat lot of good it did us.
Anyway, we can all probably agree that there will be no going back to what we fondly remember as normal. Just paying off a national debt the size of which we haven’t seen since the aftermath of WWII will take not only time but creative thinking. It also leads to the question, do we want to return to an economy that was increasingly benefiting a very wealthy one percent at the expense of practically everyone else?
Our public health system, although functioning better than those of many other countries, will also have to be rethought. It will be interesting to see if those previously calling for a mixed public/private system similar to the much-vaunted one to our south will have second thoughts. Our treatment of seniors and an examination of what they should expect from the institutions that house them will come under scrutiny; this following the actions of a minority of homes that adopted a modern-day version of putting the elderly onto an ice berg and shoving them off.
With any luck, the irony of having a cleaner atmosphere than we have had in many years, particularly in large cities, and being unable to get out and enjoy it, will not be lost on those opposing action on climate change. Having to wear a mask just to go to the local grocery store or for a stroll in the park should be looked on as not only an irritating inconvenience but a potential sign of the future.
When the plague finally passes every little thing will get a second look. Will the handshake ever return? Will elbow patches on jackets make a comeback because of the wear and tear from all those greeting bumps? Are you likely to help yourself to the peanut bowl on the bar? Will the young have second thoughts about being wedged into the crowd at a concert? Can Bishops’ University do its annual homecoming via Zoom? Will casual sex involve a hazmat suit and a great deal of imagination? Like most futurists, I don’t know. I just don’t know.