A New Beginning

When 2020 first appeared on the scene I don't think anyone believed that it would become the destroyer it proved to be. But while many of us made it through without substantial damage, we nevertheless did learn a thing or two.

            Even if we might have preferred to forget it, we were definitely reminded that we never know what might be waiting just around the corner. The world was attacked by an invisible enemy which could well have been Mother Earth putting her foot down. If you read the stats, you know that it has been determined that our planet cleaned up its act by more than 7% in the last year. That's how much less garbage we spewed into the air because of the many grounded planes and because people drove a lot less. However the trend will certainly not continue as the world returns to its old ways which could well mean more surprises we might not like. But I must say there is a chance we might win the battle because electric cars are steadily gaining ground and tremendous strides are being made by carbon engineering to produce fuel from CO₂.    

            And as our lives were disrupted and we spent more time at home we were reminded of the need to ensure our physical as well as our emotional wellbeing. A long daily walk along with some stretching and yoga exercises (in my case qi gong) took care of the physical. And those of us who live alone learned the importance of staying in touch with others even if we could not be with them nor partake in various social activities. Luckily we were able to take full advantage of modern video capabilities as well as of that little invention from Alexander Graham Bell. We also learned to play various games on line with other lonely souls.

            However, I believe that the most important thing we learned is that we all need to stand together and support each other. The grim statistics we got used to hearing every day proved that thousands of people lost loved ones and continue to grieve, while so many others saw their revenue come to halt. It has been a difficult holiday season for tons of families because of lack of funds but we have proven ourselves by helping the most vulnerable among us through food and monetary donations.

            We can only hope that such generosity will not come to an end because covid is far from having retreated despite the vaccines. The world will not recover overnight from its assault so it is important to remember those who continue to suffer. We have entered a new phase but the light at the end of the tunnel is certainly not as sharp as it will eventually be.

Let's be cognisant of the fact that it'll be a while before everyone is back on their feet.