Commuters queue outside a train station in Manila. File photo: REUTERS/Cheryl Ravelo few weeks, a month, or maybe several months from now, quarantines will be lifted in the Philippines and everywhere else. Most people are hoping that things will go back to normal. Unfortunately, that likely won't be the case. This pandemic has jarred the psyche of people everywhere. Just when humans thought they controlled their own destiny, nature intruded and put them in their place. Despite eons of evolutionary progress, humans remain a very fragile species. Even an infinitesimally small snippet of DNA or RNA can turn our world upside down as the COVID-19 virus so clearly demonstrated. Going forward, it is clear that enormous changes will affect our daily lives. For starters, wet markets will likely become a thing of the past. The typical Filipino palengke will be forced to evolve and change. Gone will be the slabs of meat, left out in the open, where flies and other insects can feast on. Wet markets will be seen as breeding grounds for pathogens that could cause the next pandemic. The Wuhan wet market, where the current pandemic started, had a menagerie of live and slaughtered animals—many rare or exotic—lying side by side with people in less than hygienic conditions. Wet markets around the world will likely have to change, as well. Then there's social distancing. What will happen to jam-packed concerts, shopping malls over the Holidays, and even annual events like the Black Nazarene procession where hordes of worshipers cram the streets around Quiapo in a seemingly mindless devotional orgy. Those will have to change. Even if a vaccine for the COVID-19 virus is eventually found, it will likely still be decades before people let their guard down. And even if they do, things will never be the same as they were before November 2019. Every facet of modern life will change. MRT trains with commuters packed like sardines should no longer be allowed. Long lines and hours waiting in inefficient government offices will likely change as well. People will be less tolerant of inefficiency and incompetence in government. With lives literally on the line, people will demand a lot more from their leaders and government institutions. In short, we will be entering a brave new world, and no one knows what it will eventually be like. One thing is for sure; this pandemic will be a learning experience for people everywhere. Hopefully, humanity will end up creating a safer and more sustainable world. Published 4/9/2020