When shall the world return to its former state?

This is the question that many people are asking during this year of great uncertainty, which - in addition to masks and lockdowns - is marked by swaggering dictators and economic uncertainty.

The idea of “returning to the past”, by stressing its importance of human factors, is basically an humanistic one. It is a question stating, that while the years go by, the central role of humanity remains the same. Per se, it is however a very old one. For years in the past, societies were more concerned about returning to their glorious past, rather than be involved in building a better future. All modern religions, one way or the other, base their world vision on this principle. It is only until modern times that humanity has embarked in the adventure of improving, developing and shaping its future.

We can argue, therefore, that the question “when shall the world return to its former state?” is, an obsolete and anachronistic one. Ancient greek philosopher Heraclitus stated that: "No man ever steps in the same river twice" meaning, that the world constantly changes and that no two situations are exactly the same. Just as water flows in a river, one cannot touch the exact same water twice when one steps into a river. We also all know, that time travel is not possible, for a number of complex reasons. What has gone, is gone for ages. There is no life after death, and there is no return to the lira’s era in Italy either, no matter what some people think and hope for.

Yet many pray to get back into the past. 

Many want to party like before. They want to travel like before. Every minute wasted in waiting to go back to as it was, is excruciatingly painful. They ask questions like: “When shall corona restrictions be lifted? When is everything again as it was before?”

I suspect the internet-era has made people more impatient. And that only people belonging to the generations that were born long before web browsers, can appreciate what I am trying to say here. These are the same people that were able to wait a week or two for a letter to arrive; for whom it was normal for the Sex Pistol vinyl ordered from UK to take up to two months to deliver. Now messages need to be delivered with two clicks. Soon we’ll be expecting drones to fly packages into our arms in a couple of hours. A week at home feels like an eternity, two weeks of quarantine a lifetime. Life should return to its former state today and to nightclubs tomorrow.

Youth in particular is impatient and also selfish.

Long ago, when Italy got into a war, a dance ban was first declared. Citizens had to hide behind blackout curtains in such dim light that even reading was difficult. The fear of bombing was constant and real. The parks had been dug into fragmentation shelters. This misery lasted for years. Also at that time, it was asked when everything would return to its former state. There was war fatigue and hopelessness. Various rumours circulated, as they do now.

Then the war ended. People started to dance again, but Italy did not return to its former state. Food stamps were still in use for years. When they were finally dismissed, the world was a very different one.

So when we are in pain today about when the world will return to its former state, the most likely answer is: never.

The memory of a pandemic will never disappear from the back of our head. It will be like a “abstract food stamp” left to dwell on our thoughts. The coronavirus will probably never go away either. It seems the vaccine will not offer 100% protection. In addition, vaccinations should be repeated at regular intervals. And there will most likely always be those who - by refusing to be vaccinated - will continue to spread the virus. 

Therefore, the world will never return to its former state. The sooner you get along with this fact, the better. And people who are now haunted by the though of wasting their life due to the corona-imposed regulations, should quickly re-calibrate their watch.

The "new normal".

Nelson Mandela was confined in Robben Island’s prison for eighteen years, and then for another nine years elsewhere. Initially, he was allowed one guest and one letter in six months. After the first month of detention was over, he didn’t complain that he was mistreated. Neither he demanded to the authorities to improve his conditions (he did demanded the government to resign, but it was indeed for other reasons). Mandela developed into a great man because, despite his unhappy circumstances, he did not navel-gaze, but constantly asks himself what he could do for others.

We too should start giving up some of our selfishness. Instead, we should start doing good to others. And, by doing so, at the same time do good to ourselves. And perhaps in a few years the COVID-19 will be nothing but one of the flu bugs that circle the world (like the currently 4 rhinitis viruses). And this will be the “new normal”.

Let’s simply stop crying our own part all the time. And let’s stop longing for the lost past. Instead, as soon as possible, let’s ask ourselves what each of us can do better - during this “lost, cursed” time of pandemic - to build a better “new normal”.

Freely adapted from the original article in Finnish: https://yle.fi/uutiset/3-11499379