Some of you (though not enough, since ABC canceled it after one season) might recall the series Flash Forward, circa 2010ish. You can find some of the episodes on YouTube. In short, it was a sci-fi themed show about people who were briefly knocked unconscious for a few minutes due to some mysterious global event. During that time, everyone saw themselves six months into the future, and then the plot went on from there.
I’ve been thinking of how the global pandemic has been a quasi-analog to this plotline. Except that we’ve all had 2+ years of slow motion time to ponder what life will be like if we ever rid ourselves of COVID. For some of us, it means quitting our jobs for something else (“the great resignation”). For others, maybe it’s committing to travel and see the world. Or cutting ties with people and relationships that never were truly genuine and life-affirming. Whatever it is, I don’t feel we’ll come out of it the same person that we were in March of 2020. Many young people have changed post-secondary plans, or put off having a child, or grappled with mental health challenges. Unlike the greatest generation of World War II, this enemy is hard to pin down. It has put pressure on societal norms, and taken away the pressure relief valves that activities like sports have traditionally provided. For me, I’ve found myself retreating to inner pursuits like writing. I am way, way, behind on my streaming shows, but last night, found myself scrolling through dozens of similar-sounding post-apocalyptic themed shows. Will a time-traveler from the 23rd century beam back to save us? No? How about Vulcans? What if is this is all a simulation? Or an M. Night Shamayalan mindbender?
How about you? What plans have changed or shifted for you after enduring this slow motion flash forward?
Flash Forward, slowly
Flash Forward, slowly
Flash Forward, slowly
Some of you (though not enough, since ABC canceled it after one season) might recall the series Flash Forward, circa 2010ish. You can find some of the episodes on YouTube. In short, it was a sci-fi themed show about people who were briefly knocked unconscious for a few minutes due to some mysterious global event. During that time, everyone saw themselves six months into the future, and then the plot went on from there.
I’ve been thinking of how the global pandemic has been a quasi-analog to this plotline. Except that we’ve all had 2+ years of slow motion time to ponder what life will be like if we ever rid ourselves of COVID. For some of us, it means quitting our jobs for something else (“the great resignation”). For others, maybe it’s committing to travel and see the world. Or cutting ties with people and relationships that never were truly genuine and life-affirming. Whatever it is, I don’t feel we’ll come out of it the same person that we were in March of 2020. Many young people have changed post-secondary plans, or put off having a child, or grappled with mental health challenges. Unlike the greatest generation of World War II, this enemy is hard to pin down. It has put pressure on societal norms, and taken away the pressure relief valves that activities like sports have traditionally provided. For me, I’ve found myself retreating to inner pursuits like writing. I am way, way, behind on my streaming shows, but last night, found myself scrolling through dozens of similar-sounding post-apocalyptic themed shows. Will a time-traveler from the 23rd century beam back to save us? No? How about Vulcans? What if is this is all a simulation? Or an M. Night Shamayalan mindbender?
How about you? What plans have changed or shifted for you after enduring this slow motion flash forward?