Darkness. We live in darkness, with just a memory of the light. We cling to that memory, hoping to find our way back to that light. This year has weighed heavily on us. Fires. The brink of war. Death. The fear, uncertainty, pain, and even more death brought on by a global pandemic.
How do we find the light again? There will always be other challenges to overcome. 2020 has been a fierce reminder of that. We remember a steady light in our past, but in truth, that light was like a candle, flickering, casting light on some and shadows on others.
We need a new source of light. A steady, warming light that shines on everyone, that shines brighter than the challenges we still face and brighter than the next challenge. It is within each of us. Our love for each other, for all living beings, for our planet, be the light that will overcome this darkness. Maybe if all of our lights unite, like a Care Bear Stare, no one will be left in the darkness.
The second wave of Covid-19 has been weighing heavy on me for the last few weeks. I know I am lucky to live in a place where we actually had a break between the first and second waves and where our public health officials take swift actions (fully supported by the provincial government) to curb each wave as it comes. But I have family in other places where the health care system is on the brink of being overwhelmed. How far away is the day that hospitals there have to start deciding who to treat? How will those decisions affect my family?
What is the difference, between where I live now and where I am from? Different governments? Yes. Different public health officials? Yes. But are those the root causes, or are they the symptoms of something greater? How do politics become so polarized and all-encompassing in some places and not others? How does the greater good and public health become so politicized in some places and not others?
In my experience, it is community. Where I live now, we look out for each other as much as we look out for ourselves. Following public health guidelines isn’t just about keeping our own families out of the darkness; it is about ensuring that no one is left behind in the shadows. We don’t have to share the same political ideologies to care about our neighbours. We know in our hearts that a healthy population and a healthy economy are intrinsically linked – you cannot have one without the other. I wish I knew how to shine our light beyond our borders. I wish I knew how to keep everyone safe, to shine a light so that we can all come out of the darkness together. I wish everyone knew how much better it is to live in a community of strangers, to take care of each other and in doing so, save ourselves.
Recommended reading: “See No Stranger,” by Valarie Kaur. Revolutionary Love is the way forward. This memoir provides a compass.