The new normal. Those words have often been accompanied by air quotes and a sigh of resignation. You might assume I’m talking about our world’s recent clash with a global pandemic or any of numerous other socioeconomic challenges facing us on a daily basis. But, I’m going to head in a different direction, at least to begin.
I received some unexpected news over the past month that has me completely revamping my nutritional choices. Gone are days of frozen pizzas, pints of ice cream, grande-size Starbucks caramel macchiatos, and some of those mouthwatering Culver’s butterburgers that I’ve come to love. Okay, I need to stop now, because my mouth is literally beginning to water.
I never appreciated the ease with which I could pull through a drive-thru line and order whatever I wanted, without a care in the world. Or perhaps, more accurately, I was naive that I could or should do such a thing. Now, just cruising past the numerous fast food joints and restaurants along my daily routes makes me hyper aware just how unhealthy our default options are when dining out.
Alas, I digress. I seem to do that often. Despite those cravings for foods that are no longer on my radar, I have found healthier substitutes. Instead of ice cream, my go-to morning meal of yogurt accompanied by wild blueberries and cinnamon granola makes me feel like I’m eating dessert for breakfast. And it’s healthier and more balanced. It has taken a week or two, but it’s a process, and I’m getting there. It’s the new normal. All of this is to say that we get accustomed to whatever we do: healthy, unhealthy, or indifferent.
And that’s where this little chat takes a decided turn in a different direction, because there are other new normals that we have come to implicitly accept as human beings that we may have gotten used to, but that doesn’t make those habits of the healthy or productive variety.
This may take a more opinionated stance than others are ready to embrace, and to be honest, I’m on the cusp of even feeling comfortable offering these thoughts. But gosh, as a human race, it feels like we have become more like robots than people. We don’t talk face to face with each other (and yeah, I know I’m being slightly hypocritical as I write this from behind a screen). And when we do converse, our attention often seems scattered. We’ve lost the art of active listening, and I will be the first person at the front of the line with his hand up to admit culpability. We either listen with the intent of responding or totally tune out what’s happening because we might have preconceived notions about what the other person is going to say. Media sources in every capacity (online, written, television, radio) all work to sway our opinions on a plethora of subjects. And unless we fight to stand our moral ground, those foundational principles that serve as the bedrock of our personality become covered with rubble in the form of advertisements and rhetoric that aims to turn our allegiances in a direction away from our true north.
Opinions matter. And we need to open ourselves up to varying ones in a healthy manner. But they should always be there to guide us, not direct us. Honest communication can be difficult but also refreshing. It cultivates respect and growth when everyone involved has a stable foundation, is willing to actually listen to one another, and grow forward together as a human race.
Let’s make that the new normal.
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