The Covid-19 pandemic has been a huge stress test for us all; as individuals, families, communities, businesses and institutions. It has forced us to look closely at our values, our beliefs, our priorities and how we practice them every day.
But now, as we begin to emerge from the effects of first wave, talk is turning to the shape of the ‘new’ or ‘next’ normal. Is that enough? After all we have been through, shouldn’t we be aiming for something more than a new flavour of ‘normal’?
Yes, uncertain times are challenging, but they also create opportunities for change.
Whilst uncertainty can be uncomfortable, ‘normal’ becomes cosy and complacent. We stop seeing unfairness and inequality. We stop looking and listening for new ideas. We stop trying to make things better for each other, our families, our colleagues, our customers, our communities.
‘Normal’ is the enemy of Diversity– as we all work to improve diversity, inclusivity and equality, surely the idea of a creating a new ‘normal’ is counterproductive. By defining things as ‘normal’ we immediately start to exclude anything that doesn’t fit the template; people, values, beliefs, communities.
‘Normal’ is a brake on Innovation – ‘that’s not how we do things here.’ What we normally do isn’t the same as what we should do, or what we could do if we tried. Closing down anything different inevitably excludes the new, the strange, the unlikely; the most interesting and possibly life-changing ideas that we’re all searching for.
There really is no such thing as ‘normal’ – the global pandemic has affected us all in so many different ways depending on our age, ethnicity, economic circumstances, underlying health, where we live, our own support networks etc. etc. There is no average or ‘normal’ experience of the pandemic or, indeed, of life in general. If we are to learn nothing else it must surely be a greater understanding that we all have different experiences, challenges, skills, beliefs, needs etc and they all deserve our attention, understanding and support.
So let’s stop all this talk of the new or next normal. Let’s aim for something better.
Let’s create a world where there is no normal, where we no longer judge things against a dumbed-down, simplified, average.
Let’s create a world in which we seek out and engage equally with all the amazing and exciting, variety and difference we can find.
At GNIUS we want to help our clients listen more, hear more, experience more, engage more, create more, grow more, succeed more.
We want more for them, and ourselves, than normal. Shouldn’t we all?
