“Whatever it takes” is the now-famous comment of Mario Draghi when he was the European Central Bank chairman. He was addressing the European debt crisis of 2012—and his sentiment is now shared by many world leaders and national governments as they attempt to deal with the economic consequences of the coronavirus shutdown of national economies (The Economist, March 19, 2020).

“The European Experiment”—a description applied to the European Union by many—is in serious trouble. Old divides that have plagued the continent for centuries are reemerging. A couple of weeks ago, EU leaders met to come up with a unified financial response to the COVID-19 pandemic but struggled to agree (Reuters, March 27, 2020).

“The new normal” is an idiom expressing that a significant change has occurred and become commonplace. For example, in the last few decades, it has become commonplace for us to use personal computers and cell phones to now do much of our shopping online. That is a new normal. Many new “normals” are emerging, but are all of them good?

Editor's Note: Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic last year, the world has seen many changes and countless people have suffered hardship and loss, both due to the virus and to the effects of nations’ efforts to combat it. As restrictions are being relaxed in various states and countries, it would be unwise to forget the spiritual lessons this experience has highlighted for us.

The Financial Times makes a grave case concerning the impact of the current pandemic: “It is no exaggeration to say the oil industry faces its gravest crisis of the past 100 years” (March 24, 2020). As many citizens of industrialized nations settle into life at home, travel by land, sea, and air has fallen drastically. Experts estimate that between 10 and 25 percent of global oil consumption could disappear in the coming months.