Version 2.243

I have been daydreaming about all the innovations that will happen due to the extreme current state of affairs. It seems to me that working in an office will be forever changed, thus houses will likely have to get bigger to accomodated at-home offices, thus more people will be moving to the suburbs where housing is cheaper.

But, if you work remotely, why settle for living in the U.S.? You'll be able to work anywhere in the world remotely, as long as you have an Internet connection. That means that many services can be set up remotely, so maybe your kids can attend remote classes from another location and have in-person activities at some other institution where you are. That would be the ultimate flexibility. And maybe moving will be easier and you can move your family around often, not because you need to, but because you enjoy knowing and being in different places.

Hotels aren't particularly suited for this kind of innovation, so one will likely see a greater shift toward people renting houses and apartments and maybe efficiency units, but the latter would not provide very good quality of living in terms of experience. People will value experiences because they will be reeling from the lockdown. For a while, sensory activities will be highly sought after.

We have been on this quest for more freedom since the industrial revolution. Until then, the vast majority of the population shared the same life project as their parents: the child of a farmer would be a farmer, the child of shoemaker would be a shoemaker. Industrialization allowed people to fully understand time: it is a concept in which you can observe change, rather than ensure constancy. And so "The Time Machine" was written and the concept of time travel was created.

This pandemic will allow to effect more change. Those who insist on remaining the same will be left behind and will not partake on the gains of the new order.