War, depression, recession, and now coronavirus. In a matter of days, our world changed.
All of these things are devastating, and yet, after all is said and done, what we learn can have negative fallout and also positive impacts.
Crisis moments also present opportunities. Here’s how good can come out of bad.
“I think on a global scale, it will really benefit people who will start to realize that we have more in common than we don’t,” said A.J. Marsden, a psychologist at Beacon College.
There’s already talk of Congress meeting and voting online, giving our lawmakers more time to lead from home and entice more people to run for office.
And many believe we’ll see a rise in telemedicine, treating sick people from home instead of infecting others at the doctor’s office.
Scientists may even become the new social media sensations.
Speaking of social media, our digital lifestyle will be healthier. During our isolation, we’ve watched Yo-Yo Ma post live daily concerts. And at any time of the day or night you can take a virtual tour of almost any museum.
And on a local level, "We start paying more attention to our community,” said Marsden.
You can expect an online revolution as well. Now that most of us have figured out which buttons to push and how to Zoom, more employees will work from home, more students will be homeschooled, and more colleges will go online.
Instead of asking “Is there a reason to do this online,” we might start asking, “Is there any good reason to do this in person?”