We're all desperate to get back to normal. But should we?

A poem by Kumi Naidoo for the Green Economy Coalition arguing that the post-pandemic recovery should not be a return to 'normal,' but an opportunity to replace failed economic and political systems with a more equitable world.

• The author argues that returning to the 'normal' state of the world prior to the pandemic is an absurd goal because that world was characterized by division, fear, and a 'me first' mentality that contributed to global instability.
• The pandemic is described as having exposed the failure of existing economic and political systems, which the author claims weaken and divide society while primarily benefiting the elite.

APA

Naidoo, K. (2021). We're all desperate to get back to normal. But should we? Green Economy Coalition. https://www.greeneconomycoalition.org/news-and-resources/were-all-desperate-to-get-back-to-normal-but-should-we

Chicago

Naidoo, Kumi. We're all desperate to get back to normal. But should we? Green Economy Coalition, 2021. https://www.greeneconomycoalition.org/news-and-resources/were-all-desperate-to-get-back-to-normal-but-should-we.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Naidoo |first1=Kumi |title=We're all desperate to get back to normal. But should we? |publisher=Green Economy Coalition |date=9 June 2021 |url=https://www.greeneconomycoalition.org/news-and-resources/were-all-desperate-to-get-back-to-normal-but-should-we |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{naidoo2021were, author = {Naidoo, Kumi}, title = {{We're all desperate to get back to normal. But should we?}}, publisher = {Green Economy Coalition}, year = {2021}, month = jun, url = {https://www.greeneconomycoalition.org/news-and-resources/were-all-desperate-to-get-back-to-normal-but-should-we}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }