Much discussion about the corona virus has implied that the prolonged state of isolation and social distancing will create a new economy based on virtual stores, social activity and fellowship based in social media, and similar things. We fear a new Orwellian reality where augmented reality eliminates the need to have public parks, access to the smell of the ocean or even a view of the sky.
But if you remember the way the human spirit has been reacting through even our era, everyone is talking about refurbishing older experiences, like going to a drive-in movie instead of watching a movie on Netflix, or going to a real park instead of watching a 360Video (even though I find those fantastic), or having a real chorus perform a live barbershop concert (even though I am a proud user of apps like A Cappella and Band Lab) in a park amphitheater. As soon as we come to the end of the corona virus scare and the munchkins know they can safely come out from the bushes and meet Dorothy, it is inevitable that the human spirit will remember whatever was lost during this event. It will rebel by reviving those lost brick & mortar moments, those sweet smells of the woods and salty smells of the ocean. Remember that even in the pop culture where these things are often forgotten, it doesn't take a lot of people to remind us all what we have lost track of to get people back to recapturing those things.
This is why I don't think that restaurant dining, solitary beach walks, theatre performances, and the cinema are going anywhere. Okay, maybe I do live in Seattle, and that's how we think here. But we must also remember that, in the internet age, information travels fast, and our insights are bound to germinate elsewhere where people have yet to discover that they were real Seattlites at heart even if they live in a place where it still rules.
from my heart,
Billy Gard
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