If you think things are strange right now, you're right, and you are not alone. The COVID-19 pandemic is a historic event and has changed almost every aspect of society. As SF author, Robert J. Sawyer points out in today's Toronto Star, some of these changes may be permanent.
COVID-19 is forcing us to redefine what we mean by work, socializing, home life, vacations, economic reality, and more. Things will never go back to the way they were pre-pandemic.
And, since a reset switch is being hit across the board, people have realized, as Martin Luther King Jr. put it, “the fierce urgency of now.” Carpe diem; lean in; be heard; shape tomorrow.
The surging trans-rights movement (and the backlash against “Harry Potter” author J.K. Rowling over her stance on this issue), Black Lives Matter, Canada finally acknowledging our horrific treatment of our Indigenous peoples: it’s all about making sure that when we come out of the tunnel into the light, it’ll be a sunnier day for everyone.
Since Robert mentions that the publicity campaign for his new novel, The Oppenheimer Alternative, is a casualty of the pandemic, I must give it a shout out. I am about halfway through the book and very much enjoying it. If the rest of the book maintains the high level of quality of the first half, it will almost certainly be Robert's best novel. I'll run a review here when I've finished reading it. But don't wait for my review - get it now.
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