THE NEW NORMAL

WHAT IS NOW OUR NEW NORMAL.

As long as the world has not found a cure  for the Chinese virus(Covid-19), we may have to adjust to the “new normal”, meaning a new way of living and going about our lives, work and interactions with other people.

We all have to bear it in mind that we may have to live in the “new normal” for a very long time.

Now, what do we or what can we call the New Normal?

The English dictionary, defines the "new normal" as the current prevailing situation in which the economy and society at large settles, after a crisis. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the term new normal has an increasing use to refer the changes of human behavior changes during or after this pandemic. This includes limiting person-to-person contact, like handshakes and hugs. Additionally, maintaining distance from others or social distancing.

 'Normal' has not worked for a majority of the world's population, so why would it start working now? However, "the new normal" must not be the lens through which we examine our changed world. We should use our discomfort to forge a new paradigm instead.

The language of the "new normal" is being deployed almost as a way to quell any uncertainty ushered in by the chinese virus. With no cure in sight, everyone i.e.  from politicians to the media to friends and family has perpetuated this rhetoric as they imagine settling into life under this "new normal" which contends that things will never be the same as they were before so welcome to the new world order. By using this language, we reimagine where we were previously relative to where we are now, appropriating our present as the standard.

The 'new normal' holds the idea that our present is okay because normal is regular. Yes, there may be challenges of different forms, but these are issues that can be managed. We accept life under the omnipresent threat of virus as ordinary. But what exactly is normal about this pandemic? 

🔥It is not normal for society en masse to be isolated, using face masks when we all are not surgeons but if this is normal, then we are supposed to have control of the situation. Even if we feel loss or despair, we are expected to get used to it and we accepting that this morbid reality is now standard.

Allowing ourselves to cope means not normalizing our situation and quickly moving forward, but giving ourselves the time to truly process it. 

In conclusion, As we weigh our personal and social responses to this "new normal",  the language we employ matters. It helps to shape and reinforce our understanding of the world, challenges and situations around us and the ways in which we choose to approach it.