Pre/Post Covid

What will our reactions mean for the future of our culture?

There are points in time that can change people and how they view the world. It can be an event that transforms an individual or a whole culture. Just under two decades ago, we adjusted our world views into a pre/post 9–11 framework. We allowed our leaders to encroach on civil liberties for the sake of perceived security, allowing and supporting the Patriot Act. I can’t help but wonder what if any effects our reaction to COVID will have on our expectations and reactions to future viral breakouts. This will definitely not be the last time we have an illness spread throughout our world. We’ve been changed by fear before, and those changes so far have been permanent.

Not everyone is old enough to remember, but there was a time when kids under ten walked out of their houses and to the park. Often they spent hours away from home with siblings and friends, riding bikes through city streets and alleys. I was one of those kids, and remember having to walk my bike home after crashing it into trash cans in a Los Angeles alley because nobody was there to pick me up and dust me off. My little brother and I crossed the street on our own and played at the local park where adults were playing basketball, smoking funny cigarettes, and getting annoyed at us kids for being in the way. Try to picture that…