The 'New Normal' requires our empathy

The expression “new normal” has increasingly felt like a meaningless phrase.

With each new shift in the experience of the novel coronavirus pandemic, what we thought we knew had to be relearned and what served as guidance or best practices often had to be re-scripted.

Normalcy suggests consistency and predictability, neither of which has been experienced since March 2020.

The result has been widespread fatigue and impatience, which might explain the rise in public outbursts and misbehavior as people attempt to reintegrate into public life.

And yet, things are beginning to feel different this t...