The world is in the midst of a historical turning point. The COVID-19 pandemic has effectively halted life as we once knew it, and left the open question, "what will our world look like when'normal' life resumes?" While we don't have a crystal ball that allows us to peer into the future, history has given us a template on what to expect. Past pandemics have shaped politics, crashed economies, purred revolutions and produced other profound societal transformations. In the 14th century, the bubonic plague killed more than 60 percent of Europe's population – a dramatic population decline that actually improved living standards for the survivors and marked the decline in serfdom.