There’s some news lately about the dreams people are having during this pandemic—some are reportedly pretty scary and more easily recalled than usual. I can’t say I have had any of these yet, but I am actually having some heartening daydreams about life after the height of this pandemic.
In some ways this crisis could bring about a reset, a reboot of the sort we do if a computer or cell phone acts up. I have always liked restarts—teaching college, I welcomed the break at the end of the semester as grading was finally done, and I got to start a fresh semester with new classes and students, new ideas for lectures, and of course, old jokes for a new audience. I have ever since looked for similar reset opportunities, and this pandemic offers that potential for me personally in my work and for what I hope for the world of our children and grandchildren.
This pandemic is bringing chaos, confusion and uncertainty, unfairness, winners and losers. As Naomie Klein points out, in times of upheaval there is strong tendency for the rich and powerful to consolidate that richness and power—at the expense of all others. Reflect on 9/11 and the last recession, for example. Unless we recognize that tendency in our society, we will again allow that consolidation to proceed without a fight—more business as usual.
So we need to dream—wild, vivid dreams, easily remembered and shared with others—as we hear is occurring now with those less pleasant ones. But dreams of a better future fed by glimpses we are seeing now of clear skies over cities, wildlife venturing out into city streets, drastically lower oil consumption, fewer miles driven bringing auto insurance rebates, heroic help for those who are sick and those who are food insecure, people seeing the stark racial inequities in our society, more gardens and chickens, support programs for local growers, and more deliberate attention to food and where it comes from.
Growing much more of our own food, seeking out and supporting local growers, ensuring healthy food access for all, spending more time finding out how our food is grown, by whom, and how sustainably—and then acting on that awareness in all our food choices is what I dream of for the future, the near future if we are serious about it.
With this pandemic, we are faced with issues of massive unemployment, worker safety in huge meat packing plants, food shortages and waste from the inability of our industrial food system to shift quickly from wholesale to retail needs. Why not dream of many, many more people active outside in natural settings growing food for themselves and neighbors and many, many more people with small farms and ranches with meaningful, rewarding jobs for which they get a fair income. What about a heightened degree of resilience in our food system that will serve us well in future crises to come. Too hard to imagine? Too much to ask of ourselves? Too much to do for our children? I think not.
Pleasant dreams!
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