The current COVID-19 pandemic has reshaped nearly every aspect of humanity, with every twist and turn that life throws at us now amplified to levels of dangerous threats. Cities lay empty. Small businesses remain closed. Aspects of life that we once took for granted, aspects that were “normal” to us, that we lived through with no second thoughts, are now gone.
The “normal” is gone from our lives. The mesmerizing facet about it, though, is the fact that no person is affected by this pandemic any less than the next one; no matter who you are, where you live (although it is undeniable that certain areas have more concentrations of the virus than others, the impact is equal), regardless of your wealth, power or celebrity status, the virus treats us equally.
The virus does not pick and choose who to infect, but it is up to each and every one of us to practice manners necessary to prevent the virus from picking us, whether this be washing our hands frequently, social distancing, or wearing gloves and face masks in public — all of which I have been doing.
These are actions that have become the “new normal”; gone are the times of partaking in activities such as concerts, sporting events, dining in restaurants and bars, exercising in gyms, taking your date to the movie theater, and the like, all activities that are normal to us.
Humans are a socially-dependent species; it is in our nature to socialize, interact, and congregate. When that is taken away, priorities are shifted and chaos ensues, and, in the case of a pandemic of this stature, lives can be lost. As participants of society in 2020, every person is in this together, regardless of profession, age, race, and any other characteristic that society often likes to categorize us into. In times such as this, we are not opposites, but allies.
In February, as I wandered Ocean Drive in Miami Beach, walked the pathways at Bayfront Park, and took Ubers to and fro, I did not realize that it would be my last real experience of the “normal” world, with citizens wandering about, dining in restaurants and gathering in crowds without thinking for a second about the normal which was to come, the normal that would include the requirement of face masks, social distancing, and stay-at-home orders.
And as I write this, my flight to San Francisco will be taking off one week from now. Except I won’t be on it. I, like millions of others, was forced to cancel my trip, the first time I’ve ever had to cancel a flight (surprisingly). San Francisco will still suffer, with its ever-expanding homelessness issue and rising filth, even without my presence — as will the rest of the world.
The night of March 11, a few weeks after I had returned from Miami, was when it all collapsed. That night, COVID-19 was declared a worldwide pandemic, and within the next few minutes, a couple of NBA players tested positive for Coronavirus, forcing the league to suspend the season indefinitely. The next day, the NHL followed suit, followed by the MLB, MLS, and other sports leagues. As an avid sports fan, the suspension of these leagues hit hard, and as of this day, sports remain canceled, as they should.
I’m no philosophy expert, but I have taken several philosophy classes throughout my former academic career, and I have learned to look at things from different perspectives that have stemmed from various philosophers, even perspectives I do not necessarily agree with, because it is impractical to agree with the views of every philosopher. However, there are a couple whose views eerily align with the current situation we’re in, at least after further consideration: John Stuart Mill and Nelson Goodman.
John Stuart Mill’s primary philosophy revolves around the concept of Utilitarianism, which focuses on the belief that actions are morally correct if they promote happiness. In Chapter II of Mill’s Utilitarianism, entitled ‘Chapter II: What Utilitarianism Is’, he states:
“The creed which accepts as the foundation of morals, Utility, or the Greatest Happiness Principle, holds that actions are right in proportion as they tend to promote happiness, wrong as they tend to produce the reverse of happiness.”
Here, Mill is referring to the belief that an action is perceived as morally correct if it promotes happiness, and likewise, an action is perceived to be morally wrong if it promotes sadness, anger, fear, or any versions of those emotions which he defines as “the reverse of happiness”. Actions are judged to be right or wrong based on their consequence, not based on their very motif.
In this instance, Mill is demonstrating a classic good-vs-evil perspective, with the indulgence of “good” being the deciding factor in human morals. He then fulfills the Utilitarianism belief of moral outweighing, where the amount of happiness and unhappiness is compared, and the amount of “rightness” is decided by the amount of happiness over unhappiness.
When viewing the current pandemic through Mill’s Utilitarianist lens, the points of comparison become strikingly clear. Mill believes actions are perceived as good if they promote happiness, and the actions of the first responders and workers who continue to serve our community are undeniably good, and promote happiness. The workers devoting their effort to deliver meals to those who have been impacted by this virus, are promoting happiness across the community and thus their actions are perceived as good.
In another sense, the doctors who work day and night, round the clock to ensure the recovery of their patients, whether the patients have been infected with coronavirus or any other medical condition, are undeniably good. The recovery of the patients is a happy occasion and spreads good across the community, and so to me, Mill’s Utilitarianism relates directly to the pandemic in some senses.
The other philosopher whose views align with mine regarding the pandemic is Nelson Goodman. In the excerpt of his work Ways of Worldmaking, Goodman discusses his concept of worldmaking and relates it to the idea of relativism. He argues that the world can be described not in one single manner, but rather, there are multiple or perhaps an infinite number of ways the world can be described. The world is shaped differently in the perspective of each person, and as such there is no incorrect way to describe the world.
As discussed earlier, this pandemic has affected every single person in some way or another, whether it be directly (they or someone close to them actually became infected with the virus), or indirectly (they haven’t been infected with the virus, but have suffered economic and social consequences as a result of the subsequent shutdowns — I fall into this category, as I and my family have been lucky enough to have not been infected), but the perspective of the pandemic differs for each person. Goodman’s theory promotes the belief that the perspective of the world differs for every individual, and this could not be more true in the case of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Goodman’s theory relates to relativism since relativism is the idea that knowledge and truth are not absolute, that it varies from person to person, and Goodman’s idea of worldmaking revolves around this very concept, that there is not one absolute way to look upon the world, as it differs for every individual. Similarly, just because one person’s world differs from another person’s world does not mean they overlap, and even if they overlap, their perspectives are still different and as such, they are both still ‘true’. As such, Goodman’s concept of worldmaking relies on relativism to even make sense.
Once again, this directly relates to the pandemic, since every person has been affected by the pandemic in some way, but each person’s view of it is different. There is not one absolute way to look upon the pandemic, and even though perspectives may be different, they still overlap, as it is still one primary issue.
Not one person’s perspective regarding the pandemic is ‘false’ or ‘wrong’; in fact, it is the combination of all the differing perspectives which makes it right, and this is exactly what Goodman’s concept of worldmaking relies on. Thus, Goodman’s philosophy is extremely relevant and relatable in terms of the pandemic.
While these philosophers’ views can easily relate to the current state of life, as discussed, no one can predict the future, and as such, no one knows at this point how life will pan out following the conclusion of the pandemic.
For one, it is impossible to know when the pandemic itself will be over; the virus can subside within a matter of months, or it could be years. Even if a vaccine is developed by year’s end, there is no telling whether the virus will take on different strains when and if it comes back, similar to the flu, rendering the vaccines nearly useless.
In my personal view, the near future is bleak, as it will take months before businesses and venues can safely reopen, but most have already begun to do so. Even when those businesses and venues reopen, the situation will not be the same as social distancing will be enforced, capacities will be limited, and the wearing of face masks will still be required. That is just how the “new normal” will be, and we as members of society in 2020 must accept it.
However, these restrictions will not stop people from attempting to be themselves, attempting to return to a sliver of their lives which were once normal. This means that people will frolic about in the warm summer weather, ignoring social distancing rules; I have already seen this firsthand when I ventured into Manhattan the other day: the sun was shining, the birds were chirping — it was a wonderful spring afternoon — and it looked like a typical day in Manhattan, with swarms of cyclists, pedestrians, and the like filling up the streets and parks, ignoring social distancing rules.
Things will return to normal after a while, but it will be the new normal, not the old normal. I will continue to live the new normal, which means I will be social distancing, washing my hands often (as I always did, even before the pandemic was a thought), and wearing face masks.
Life has always been filled with unknowns, even before the pandemic hit — when life was ‘normal’ to us— but now, there are more unknowns than ever, and that means that the current events are impossible to predict. So, to be honest, I really don’t know what’s in store for us. All we can do at this point is stay safe and protect ourselves, and that, to me, is the new normal.
Chris is a writer and publisher who travels America, and loves doing it. He also loves pizza, video games, and sports, and can tell you a thing or two about each. Follow him on Medium to be informed of new articles.
