As much as I want to avoid the topic of the pandemic, it is constantly in my face, everywhere I turn, anything I do, everything is connected to these dark times. And yet, life seems to go on for so many.
Last week, two people close to me—a friend and a cousin, both delivered babies—a joyous moment, shrouded by the fear and darkness of the current times. However, the minute we heard the news, all of us forgot about the pandemic for those few minutes to revel in the birth of hope.
In the one month that I have been writing for Lakes District News, I have interacted with so many people, each living life—quarantined, yet living their best lives.
There are parents and teachers fighting to keep a second language program in their school, and there are residents who want the district to reinstate recycling.
Then there are some others who are fighting to ensure that the everyday basics, like food, reaches the tables of families, and then there are those thinking about the tomorrow by bringing books and plants to people’s homes.
Everywhere you look, there are people helping or offering help to others. If you go online, you will find people, celebrities, professionals, offering free classes and even resume reviews.
And there are companies who are going to extraordinary lengths, ranging from Asian Paints, an Indian paint company that announced a salary hike for its employees to boost morale, to Labatt Breweries, the Canadian company that has been producing hand sanitizers instead of beer at five of its factory locations. Airbnb, the online marketplace for vacation rentals and experiences, has had to lay off many of its employees but the company hasn’t just washed its hands off of its workforce.
Airbnb has launched a new listing on its website, in the form of a talent directory of all its laid off employees and is encouraging other companies to hire these talented workers.
All these folks could have easily given up, raised their hands resigning to the fate of how things are, but they are choosing to fight in the hope of a better tomorrow.
One thing is clear through all this, whether you are trying to find some semblance of normal or just trying to move on—bringing new lives, helping existing lives, fighting for future lives or just living the best life you can—this is how you are showing immense strength of character in turning something dark into positive.
That, I feel is sort of the moral of the pandemic, that so long as we live, we fight to survive and strive for a better tomorrow.