It just doesn't belong, not here, not now.  The spring pandemic was simply not meant for these post-industrial times -- maybe something more appropriate to the Middle Ages. But here we are. A cannibal joined the family picnic and calmly started eating the children.

The overarching question as we address this uninvited guest is the extent to which the world has been and will be shaped not only by the pandemic itself but, perhaps even more so, by the manner in which we choose to respond. Our initial gut-check reflex took the form of a question we asked ourselves nearly three months ago i.e. what actions, if any, would we take had we been duly empowered to do so as a state governor (MM (6/1/20)/ Lockdown: Governors Playing God). 

The answer back then: inconclusive; too many unknowns. The answer now, with the benefit of vast data dumps, untold insights and exhaustive modeling: inconclusive, too many unknowns.

Yet we must soldier on in this world of imperfect information as we come to grips with this defining moment of the year, of the decade, of the century perhaps. The upcoming Member Monday discussion will center around the sharing of perspectives, reflecting our own experiences over the past quarter. This session will then kick off a series of future Member Monday discussions (starting 9/14/20) to address the various components of a world knocked off its axis.  

May the evaluation of each component start with the sentiment so wonderfully expressed in our focus article The Coronation i.e. look upon Covid-19 as a unique opportunity to see the world anew, unleashed and unburdened from that which we'd always considered normal. The power of such perspective is much greater and far more potentially liberating than what might first appear. TEOTWAWKI -- the end of the world as we know it -- is literally true at every point in any changing world and, rather than necessarily implying a foreboding, can also suggest new possibilities. Now is the time for the wisdom of the ages. 

No pressure.

A Member Monday series, beginning with MM 9/14, will then pivot from there as we do our best to envision the Post-Pandemic world: monetary system (the 9/14 topic); education; travel/leisure; healthcare; technology; privacy; relationships; politics; the very meaning of community. Perhaps our collective thoughts and (informed) speculation will lead to a shared and useful imagination.

Meanwhile, MM 8/31 will address the subject of local policing, timed to correspond to the later evening appearance of Boulder's new police chief, Maris Herold.