Bella King COVID Diary #2

By Bella King

This has been a dumpster-fire of a year.  

We’re in the midst of a global pandemic that has killed hundreds of thousands of people. We just wrapped up a turbulent election that divided some, and united others. We also dealt with Australian bushfires, Kobe Bryant’s death, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry quitting the royal family, President Trump being impeached, a stock market crash, protests over the death of George Floyd and the BLM movement, the Beirut explosion, the death of legendary Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, more wildfires, and of course, the arrival of murder hornets in the United States. In case you forgot, those were just some of the highlights of 2020.  

It sounds pretty depressing when you look at some of the ways that 2020 has gone wrong, however, I believe there should be a call for celebration among all citizens of the world for one simple reason—we made it. We survived.  

One thing that often escapes us in times of crisis is perspective. Things haven’t been the easiest this year, but we are not the first generation to go through a crisis. Those before us endured wars, plagues, great depressions, and more. If we go farther back in time, people had to worry about barbarians raiding and pillaging their villages. When I compare high school students in 2020 worrying about missing their graduation and prom to the fears that generations before us endured, I suddenly don’t feel so bad.  

This year’s problems have been abundant, and many people have experienced suffering in ways many of us could never imagine. The key to surviving this year was balancing perspective with empathy. Someone else’s pains and struggles do not negate your own. This year has been a trying time, however, there were many lessons to learn, new ways to show love, and fresh ideas on what it really means to be human that revealed themselves throughout the year.