I am thinking about the choices I will make regarding what I will not go back to after COVID-19. I believe that we are in a dress rehearsal for what must be our new normal. The pandemic has made it clear that as a human race we are truly globally interconnected. This has been the message of climate activists. It took a real life and death situation to make us realize we can change our behavior on a dime if we need and want to.

A new consciousness is building, and an appreciation of the importance of equity and justice in our communities is made more real by the day. We now understand what it means for all of humanity when we have gravely unequal access to technology, information, financial resilience, education and health care. The pandemic is impacting people across all spectrums of wealth and geography. The same is true of the climate crisis – there is no hiding.

I am inspired daily by what can be accomplished remotely while watching pollution levels decrease as we ease off our carbon-emitting behaviors. Individual behavior choices have grave implications, and we must act in ways that are good for the many as opposed to focusing on our individual needs and desires.

If we can honor the lessons from this dress rehearsal, we will not only save humanity and the planet in the long run, but we just might find deeper meaning and joy in celebrating our interconnectedness.

Tory Dietel Hopps

Cumberland

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