Is there anything ‘Normal’ about the ‘New’?

The juxtaposition of the two words New and Normal could very well be the most oft-used oxymoron of recent times. Over the 15 – 18 months since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, everything we had previously considered “normal” has gone through an overhaul, throwing us into unchartered territory. And of course, it doesn’t come as a surprise when the most prevalent status update seems to be set at variations of “an overwhelming sense of strangeness”.

Owing perhaps to the three decades of deep involvement in the Corporate Training industry, the three words or phrases which form my perspective on the ‘New Normal’ are crystal clear - unlearning, relearning and acquisition of new skills. Our ability to adapt to any, and especially these strange and unfamiliar circumstances, and meet expectations both in personal and professional environments, depend largely on the willingness, speed and perspicacity with which we embrace these three processes.

Unlearning is undeniably the most challenging of the three. Peeling off years of conditioning, comfort and cognition is neither easy nor a choice that anyone would voluntarily opt for, so it is safe to assume that only a critical live-or-die situation precipitates that decision. But once the obsolete auto-responses, thought-patterns and behavioural paradigms are loosened from the roots, it sets the stage for the next part of the process, which is relearning. Contrary to the obvious structure of the word, I believe relearning is not simply learning something again, it is also positioning oneself to learn something, which replaces the old or antiquated piece of knowledge or experience. This is where the acquisition of new skills comes into play, involving both volition and a level of survival instincts kicking in. The new environment, coupled with new and unfamiliar demands on all aspects of life, relies often on trial-and-error, to finally crystallize the mechanisms that work.

The pandemic has altered social structures, individual health of body and mind, and has impacted the fabric of life as we have known it. Guesstimates suggest some of the sediment of the upheaval will no doubt float up to the surface later down the road, but in the immediate now, collective efforts to unlearn, relearn and the acquisition of new skills gives us a place to start.?

#unlearning #relearning #newskills #covid #newnormal