Pandemics change the world, sometimes for the better

Dear Reader,

When this is all over, our world will be different. But how?

To peer into the future, GEN’s editor at large Steve LeVine took a long look at the distant past. “How the Black Death Radically Altered the Course of History” is a brilliant essay about the plague’s seismic impact on society—and how it might help us understand the world we’ll live in once the coronavirus is vanquished.

In a more practical mood? We’ve got you covered with “Your Most Paranoid Pandemic Election Questions, Answered.” (No, Trump can’t cancel the election.)

And if you’re feeling lonely, you’re not alone. In “I Don’t Miss My Friends. I Miss the Strangers,” one self-isolating New Yorker laments the absence of random interactions with the strangers all around him.

Enjoy your Sunday! And stay safe in there.

Brendan Vaughan

Editor-in-Chief, GEN // Medium