For us older folks, every year flies by faster and faster. And this year for me was like the blink of an eye! 2021 had just started it seems. We were upbeat as COVID seemed to be getting under control, and we all got vaccinated early in the year. The vaccines were delivered in record time, and that seemed to be such a great scientific miracle. I got mine in January and February, and was so relieved and happy to have that behind me. Things were looking good and it seemed we would beat this thing which upset all that was normal.
Of course, a new movement called anti-vaxxers arose soon after, and some people sadly lost their lives just trying to enforce masking rules in stores or other public places. As in other areas, people’s trust in government, science, institutions and basically in each other was at an all-time low, leading to bizarre events such as the January 6 Capitol attack. How this trust got to be so low is something I think about every day, especially when I think of the marvels that good government can accomplish, like the American highway system, or the Internet, or going to the moon.
As spring and summer arrived, schools opened again, and families got to experience some sort of normal. Social gatherings picked up too. I even went to a play on Broadway, although I had to show my vaccination card and keep the mask on the whole time. Even in the fall, activities were picking up.
Yet, as I write this and we approach winter, I am feeling the same anxiety as last year in early spring, although it is less ominous. The World Health Organization is warning us to get vaccinated, get the booster, and still mask and wash our hands frequently. So it seems life has truly changed forever for us all- the variants are here to stay.
As we look forward to a bleaker winter than we might have imagined or wanted, we can only be grateful that there are vaccines, and that there are boosters. But more importantly, we must observe more keenly our behaviors as citizens and stewards of the planet. Did we learn the lesson that COVID was teaching us: to consume less, to waste less, to hate less, to care more for the less privileged, to care more for the environment and the planet and other living beings? Perhaps we did learn some lessons as individuals. But is it enough to bring back balance and harmony to human life on Earth? We will never know that answer.
So I turn back the microscope within myself, as that is my only sphere of control. I can only observe myself, which in turn can prompt me to change some things that are out of balance and perhaps have some influence indirectly. It takes a quantum leap of faith to believe that small changes can make a difference, but if that is all we have so we must grab it; our Sufi teacher is always reminding us about this universal teaching and universal law. The larger systemic changes, such as the need to move from predator capitalism to conscious capitalism will come hopefully, especially as the younger generations- who are in the most danger- spring into action and control decisions. Let us hope the systems don’t take over their minds as in the movie “The Matrix”. I pray and hope every day that they will curb the climate deterioration; that they will cure the curse of cancer; that they will usher in an era of a caring civilization, not a hate-filled civilization. May 2022 bring us closer to this dream, Inshallah.
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