The Future Is On Hiatus. It’s Our Job To Make Sure It’s Not Canceled.
I was having a conversation with a friend the other week, on the mend from non-covid pneumonia. My friend lives in New York, which, at the time of this writing, is the epicenter of a global respiratory pandemic. It was not exactly, as you might imagine, a cheerful conversation.
But there was something he said offhandedly that turned my ear and, with permission, I’d like to share it here:
“Well, at least the future is not canceled.”
“Are you sure about that?
“Yeah, pretty sure. Seems like the future is on hiatus.”
The future is on hiatus.
All the markers of time we use to conceptualize the passing of time — the public holidays, the releases of new films in theaters, the festivals and parades, even primaries and political conventions — are all, at best, provisionally rescheduled. Not canceled — yet. But waiting for some resolution we can’t quite put a timestamp on yet. Postponed. On pause — to return at some later, albeit indeterminate date. What kind of timeline are we talking about as it pertains to our actual future? Could be June, or September,or next year once a vaccine is developed. We vaguely can imagine life resuming over the summer, before reentering a state of suspended animation once the…
