An economic recession and a video showing a policeman killing an unarmed and compliant blackman, both taking place during an outbreak of a frightening novel viral disease, have given individuals a shock, perhaps similar to the shock of suddenly being marooned on a desert island. “Where is this headed?” That is the question of the moment. People seem to realize that this is a period of transition to something that will likely be quite different from the times that preceded the three-crises-at-once reality. Conditions on the ground and individuals’responses to them seem to offer support for a point made by psychologist William James, “Life is in the transitions.”