Our Task Moving Forward

Moving forward and accepting new realities is the task businesses, churches, non-profits, corporations, and individuals face ahead.   The destructive path of COVID-19 is much broader than health concerns.  It hasn’t left anyone behind, and in one form or another, we will all be affected.

There is a silver lining to the devastation that has struck.  It has brought out the best in many of us, as did Hurricane Katrina, tornados, floods, 9/11, and many other disasters.  But, the problem is that once we meet the challenge, we seem to revert to pre-disaster days, and our collective memory fades.  We move on, but don’t change.

This COVID event has demonstrated many inequalities and inadequacies in our country.   We now have an opportunity to do better and be better.  We have witnessed our abilities and talents redirected to face current challenges.  We have seen communities taking responsibility for meeting the demands of caring for each other.  We have observed heroes at work and at home.

From this point on, we need to face the realities before us and deal with the challenges.  Just re-opening our businesses is not enough.  It’s not enough to shop locally. More stimulus programs and strategies are not enough.  We must re-envision our role in moving forward.

We must envision who we are as an individual, business, or organization.  What is our worth to our community?  What do we do that is essential?   How can we leverage the partnerships and common goals which formed during the crisis?  How are we relevant?

Our task is not to simply get back to normal.  Our task is to build a better normal.  What must we do to make a better community and country?  It is our responsibility to seek, learn, and commit to practices that will uplift our nation.  The process has begun.