The world is dividing into tectonic plates moving in different directions

The killing in the US of George Floyd triggered widespread civil unrest over racial inequality, tensions that had been simmering for generations.

At the end of the second year of what may come to be known as the great pandemic, the mass take-up of vaccination made us feel a sense of control was returning to our lives. Or at least this was the case prior to the arrival of yet another variant.

Our collective experience of adversity since 2019 has been quite a rollercoaster. At first, the arrival of Covid-19 overseas inspired us to feel empathy. Remember our admiration for the stoic Italians singing on their balconies? But soon enough, it was our turn to be locked down. And at first there was good humour; this will be over soon enough, we thought. After all, other infectious outbreaks around the world like ebola, SARS, swine flu and avian flu came and went.

But then other momentous rumblings were heard across the globe. The killing in the US of George Floyd triggered widespread civil unrest over racial inequality, tensions that had been simmering for generations. The Australian Government inadvertently, even clumsily, offended Beijing, which responded with trade sanctions, a list of demands and a souring of relations. This was a shock to many Australians who hadn’t considered this relationship to be at risk.

Early in the pandemic we cut ourselves off from the rest of the world, plunging us back to a 1950s Australia isolated by the tyranny of distance. But we endured. We adapted. We worked from home. We learnt to navigate a Zoom call. We learnt the names of the chief health officer in different states. We even used the word “efficacy” in everyday conversations.

Many who worked from home came to value the experience (or they came to value the absence of commuting). In either case the pandemic increased the dwell time in the family home, which prompted a boom in spending on home furniture, furnishing, appliances and technology. Others, fed up with cramped living in chic minimalist apartments, sought out new digs in bigger sprawlier homes further removed from the city centre. Some escaped the city altogether in a reprisal of the oh-so-Australian concepts of seachange and treechange.

There was a brief reprieve about a year into the pandemic when state borders reopened. But then the Delta variant arrived and the lockdowns returned. By the second year we were exhausted of good humour; it was time for meaningful change. Powerful social issues centred on matters of gender and fairness, also simmering for decades, gained potency.

I was surprised by the decision of the new US President to unilaterally withdraw from Afghanistan. And then along came AUKUS, the alliance between Australia, the UK and the US that promises to deliver nuclear- powered submarines in the 2040s. But can we remain focused on a single project demanding funding and cooperation across multiple administrations for 20 years?

There are insights that flow from two years of the great pandemic. The average Australian has adapted well to the challenges. We have strengthened our sense of community and have awakened to the need for national security. But there are troubling times ahead and not just for Australia. The world is dividing into tectonic plates moving in different directions. We have jumped on board the American plate with the British. This doesn’t mean conflict is inevitable. However, it does mean that in the post-Covid world we need to be far more aware of our circumstances and of the need to create a better version of the Australia we have left behind.