Disasters and emergencies do not just throw light on the world as it is.
They also rip open the fabric of normality. Through the hole that opens up, we glimpse possibilities of other worlds.
Some thinkers who study disasters focus more on all that might go wrong.
Others are more optimistic, framing crises not just in terms of what is lost but also what might be gained.
Every disaster is different, of course, and it's never just one or the other: loss and gain always coexist.
Only in hindsight will the contours of the new world we're entering become clear.
They also rip open the fabric of normality. Through the hole that opens up, we glimpse possibilities of other worlds.
Some thinkers who study disasters focus more on all that might go wrong.
Others are more optimistic, framing crises not just in terms of what is lost but also what might be gained.
Every disaster is different, of course, and it's never just one or the other: loss and gain always coexist.
Only in hindsight will the contours of the new world we're entering become clear.
P. Baker (2020), We can't go back to normal