BELIEVE IN THE FUTURE

As we continue through the pandemic and economic meltdown of society and its norms this Labor Day 2020, it’s easy to give into despair and think that things have changed for the worse and will never recover. We are all pining for the long ago days of only 6 months ago when everything seemed a lot rosier somehow. What does this have to do with maps, you may ask? Well maps have always been, correctly or not, about providing some assurance in the face of the unknown, and that is surely where we find ourselves today. Does anyone know the future? What will happen to schools, the economy, the election, social gatherings, work spaces, a vaccine, the ability to recover and what it will look like, Broadway shows, musical events, kissing a stranger? Yet, what choice do we have? Stay in quarantine forever? What is a reasonable degree of risk to take? How do you make those choices for yourself and others? Imagine how people once upon a time ventured into the vastness with little to guide them but courage and their own resourcefulness (and a map!). Their belief in their own knowledge and ability to adapt to situations led to a world of discovery. It was certainly not without its failures but the successes far outweighed them and the good that was achieved for humanity is hard to even count. So we are now at another inflection point as we try to take the next steps towards a cautious recovery. Belief in what we can achieve is critical to those steps. My maps do not contain those secrets but they do speak to the optimism and fortitude that will be required. They are reflections of a certain point of view and speak to those who chart a course for a distant, unknown horizon. Labor Day represents the end of one season and the start of another. The next steps require a real leap of faith, so grab a map and set sail!