Wait a minute here. There are many kinds of predictions. Here are some that are NOT going to be bad — indeed, if they are not heeded, things will be worse:

1. The pandemic has affected education and our students, many of whom will have experienced trauma and its symptomology in the Covid-Gap. Schools and colleges need to address this as they reopen. No question about that prediction. There is loss and separation and grieving and lack of touch and domestic violence and addictions.
2. The equity divide has grown — and will grow — due to or exacerbated by the pandemic. Look at healthcare delivery. Look at education and who can and does access online learning and then find it effective.
3. The pandemic will be used as an excuse for many things — many failures and perhaps some successes. Consider the excuse that some colleges need to close just because of the pandemic. Might there be other reasons too? Think about multi-factor analyses. The air will be better and perhaps, just perhaps that will change some behavior moving forward.

Try these predictions for starters. I agree that some predictions turn out to be wrong but some are spot on. Let’s not toss out all predictions based on certain poor predictions in some arenas: marketing; consumption; athletics; politics; economics. Were we able to predict these latter items, we should become bettors in Las Vegas or as day traders. As to health and education and equity divides and discrimination and poor leadership: I think predictions in those areas are pretty solid.