2020 has been really rough on people: What are some things that give you hope for 2021?
I was wondering if the world is ever going back to normal? There is literally nothing normal about this "new normal". Is COVID going to be taken care of by then? Are we facing a recession? Is unemployment still going to be spiking up? Any hopes for start ups and small businesses ?
Answers ( 2 )
The things that give me hope are some of the regularities in my life. Things like major league baseball starting back up and (mostly) avoiding any major catastrophes as they play games. I'm a huge college football fan, as well as the NFL, and seeing those leagues and schools readying themselves to play football is encouraging to me.
On the home front, seeing falling or stable rates as things get back opened up my home state of Pennsylvania also gives me hope. Does it suck wearing a mask? Damn straight! But I'd much rather wear a mask and get to enjoy some of the "regular life things" that I can participate in than stay home without one. Also, elections give me hope. I have hope that someone might take charge, or new blood might come into office that's more capable to attack this virus head-on, and minimalize the impact it can have to all of us.
Folks who yearn for a "return to Normal" are in for a disappointment. Normal is dead. Good riddance -- it was a nightmare for many people. Recession? No. We are entering the Great-Again Depression. The only reason commerce is still ticking along is that govenments around the world are printing money pretty much indiscriminately. When your government "borrows" a $trillion, from whom do you suppose they "borrowed" it? From you, silly! And they plan to get it back from you to pay you with. How long do you think this will last before someone says, "Wait a minute...."?
The good news (and it is very good news) is that a crisis of this magnitude offers an "inflection point" for despicable social trends that were "too big to change" before. Recognizing our ability to radically change our behavior to cope with COVID-19 makes us cognizant of the fact that we could change other behaviors that have needed changing for decades, if not centuries. Do I need to make you a list? I think not.