08/14/2020
Hello all. It’s been a while. I just wanted to take a moment to share some of my thoughts and feelings while living through this pandemic.
To repeat a common refrain, there has been a lot more time to reflect upon things- be it past mistakes, future goals, or present frustration or helplessness. I believe that at the heart of this contemplation is one important notion: there is only so much that an individual can control.
And above all else, though we don’t get to control this situation, we get to control our reactions to it and our actions within it. I could choose to be frustrated by online classes and the restrictions on clubs and social gatherings. Instead, I am astounded by my school’s adaptation to these challenges- the alternative methods of instruction and interaction, the virtual events that still foster a sense of community. I could choose to be apprehensive about contracting the virus. Instead, I am grateful to have tested negative. I accept its possibility and recognise that it is within my power to mitigate my risk beforehand, and to protect others from this as well. I could choose to be saddened about not being able to deliver flowers before I left. But I know that they are prohibited for the same reason they were brought into existence- for patient safety and health.
I guess my point is that there is so much to comprehend and keep up with in this rapidly evolving situation, but that doesn’t necessitate passively fuelling whatever immediate emotional response we have. There is time to feel those complex emotions- the frustration, the fear, the sorrow, they’re all very real and powerful emotions- but then there is time to accept them, to shift perspective a little bit, and to create our own sliver of peace within chaos. In doing so, we are choosing compassion, empathy, and love. We remind ourselves of how beautiful the world can be.