Outro
ecommerce, some of the economy is still going. High-risk individuals can acquire food and necessities without leaving the safety of their homes. (Although it would be remiss of me to not acknowledge those who are risking the health of themselves and their families to deliver this food and keep our essential stores running, as well as the healthcare workers who are tirelessly treating patients.)
No one knows what the outcome of this global pandemic will be, neither in a public health, nor economic, nor political, nor sociocultural sense. Perhaps we will see some sort of pastoral longing for the physical tactility of the past. When actual human beings were standing in front of us, lit by rays of the sun instead of being projected to our eyes by the blue glare of LEDs. When we could communicate feelings, thoughts, and emotion through touch and spoken word uninterrupted by the glitches of an “unstable internet connection.” Or perhaps, having relied so heavily on technology to weather the hardships of quarantine, this dependency will stick around even after it’s quite necessary. Even while the current practices of maintaining social distancing are perhaps unsustainable in the long run, the ingenuity and creativity of humanity to connect during this time of challenge has given me hope for what’s to come. 106
Transcending Blue