I went for a walk today, a path that’s known and used, but was light on walkers. Everyone (except one older man) maintaining the 2m distance. It was good to get out for a little fresh air and exercise, even saw a heron.
The walk made me think about social distancing, frankly I’ve been practising social distancing for 50 years, but it does make me wonder what society will be like when we come out of this crisis.
Not shaking hands is fine with me. Too many times I’ve had to suffer sweaty palms, or have somehow fumbled the act. Instead a small head nod is preferable.
Not getting too close. Fine with me. There are only a handful of people I will naturally hug. There’s a batch more that I’ve had to learn to hug because of the social side of selling books, but I’m not comfortable with it. Hopefully that won’t come back.
Not going to pubs. Okay, it’s not something I enjoy, but history suggests that pubs will reopen, they have always been at the heart of communities. I kind of hope pubs return for the greater good, but I also hope that ‘pub culture’ as such doesn’t.
I realised a while ago that physical money has a limited lifespan, there are many science fiction books which have done away with cash, and you are granted credits that transfer by various means (chip under the skin, iris scan). Seeing now how many places are now taking card payments only, I also wonder if we’re seeing the death of cash rushing forward.
I have no idea what society will be at the end of this crisis, but I am pretty sure it won’t be exactly what it was when this year started. Which isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
The Write Route 