Lessons from the Pandemic Year 2020
This year has been filled with unexpected circumstances, extreme events, and a dramatic shift in human relationships.
From the coronavirus pandemic to the racial justice protests to the unprecedented developments in the American elections, the media has provided us with non-stop breathtaking news about global current affairs.
Underneath these groundbreaking global events are the real disruptions that pervaded the normal everyday lives of most people on the planet. We stopped shaking hands and we kept social distances from others. These are very strange times indeed. Transportation is restricted, shopping seems so different, and we feel afraid when someone comes close to speak to us.
The year 2020 has left a bitter taste in our mouths with the destruction of the economy of small and large businesses, the loss of jobs on a massive scale, and most importantly the loss of nearly 2 million lives due to the pandemic, among many other catastrophic events.
Isolation and mask-wearing have caused divisions in society. Conspiracy theories about the origins and the impact of the pandemic have taken to the mainstream of our social conversation. People have turned a blind eye to evidence and facts.
Trust in our traditionally erstwhile credible institutions is almost completely eroded. The media has shown itself to be binary; there are only left wing and right wing media, nothing in the middle it seems. Social media has turned into a misinformation echo chamber; it is so difficult to separate the truth from fallacy.
On the brighter side of the pandemic, however, this year has brought smiles to the faces of some people. A handful of billionaires got richer. Job openings in areas such as healthcare, social care, online services, and deliveries of goods and services provided economic opportunities for some people.
Although the world was not ready for this pandemic, effective vaccines have been developed and distributed in record time. Businesses contributed to the good of society by adapting their operations to help curb the spread of the virus.
Families got to spend more time together; this was welcome by some and dreaded by others. 2020 has taught me the importance of solitude and how to be happy alone. Some people have learned how to stop chasing after people who don’t value their presence. These are the goods and bads of an unprecedented viral attack on humanity.
