By TREVIN BRANDT
Staff Writer
With little warning or any time to process, the school year was vigorously chopped in half last year by the infamous Coronavirus that has become the biggest topic of 2020. Only a week before the middle of March, life seemed to be just fine. Every business was open, every school was operating normally, and every student was either working to bring their grades up, or studying for the March SAT exam. Only a week later, our lives took an involuntary turn as businesses, schools, theme parks, and various public places were forced to shut down amidst this unpredictable pandemic. We found ourselves stuck at home with a large amount of time (that was spent watching Netflix, Disney+, and Hulu, let’s not lie to ourselves) and fear for the future of our lives.
But let’s take a step back and think about how life was around this time last year–before the pandemic. The 2019-2020 school year had just begun, we were in the middle of getting used to our new classes, and most importantly, we were at school. In person. But were we happy about this. I’m sure if you were to ask the average student last year how happy they were about going to school, they would respond with a discouraged answer. High School can be a stressful experience when compared to the responsibility-less two and a half month summer vacation. However Covid-19 has given us a little more than two and a half months to decipher this dilemma. It has given us five whole months. And just about everyone I talk to is now in agreeance that they wish we could all go back to school in person.
2020 has shown us that even if we think we are stuck between a rock and a hard place, things can get worse. In addition to battling Covid-19, America has found itself fighting for racial justice and equality, and hurdling through hurricanes and forest fires as they rage throughout the states. Not to mention the ugly election that will proceed this November. We may have had unhappy feelings for 2019, but comparatively, it looks like such a great year now. Which is why I think we need to treat this moment in time with a positivity seen in no other dark moment in time. 2021 has potential to be great, but it also has potential to be an even worse repeat of 2020. So let’s take a moment to appreciate the positive things that we have right now, because even though it can be easy to hate this year, what’s the point in adding on to the endless pile of negativity that surrounds us?
A few days ago, the world was shocked by the death of famous actor Chadwick Boseman. He was an icon in the African American community for playing roles such as Jackie Robinson in 42, T’Challa in Black Panther, and Andre Davis in 21 Bridges. He died at the insanely young age of 43 to colon cancer. I see this as a massive wakeup call.
No matter how young or old you are, everything you know and love can go away in an instant. I would expect that after spending five months by ourselves, we would come out of it with a greater sense of what matters in our lives. That’s why I invite you to take a moment and smile at the things that bring you joy right here in this moment. Looking for the light is always the greater option when faced with bleak darkness. Giving into the dark that is all around you is only going to bring you down.