Restoring Faith in Humanity

Pandemic: Silver Lining

by Prajakta D.

Remember when the world first plunged into a pandemic? The collective fear and anxiety yielded perhaps exactly one good thing. It showed us that through one of the most trying times in history we can all be on the same chapter, the same page of the same book. While the wind was knocked out of us, it felt like we all had a simplified sense of purpose: hold on and hold each other upright.

Rainbow drawings made by children in windows, pots banging in the evenings for hospital workers’ shift change. God, I loved it. Giving a wide berth to fellow pedestrians with a nod and a smile made me feel warm and fuzzy. Hey, you’re on your third walk of the day? Me too! 

It took upending our lives to show us that we are capable of working together and working toward a common good as a whole. It could have been complete chaos. It could have been like the apocalyptic films—panicked fleeing and every man for himself. But that isn’t what happened. Besides a few bad eggs who sold Lysol wipes at inflated prices and bought hundreds of toilet paper rolls, there was largely calm.

Instead, people turned to their friends and families—virtually. For the most part, people actually listened to health experts and stayed away from the elderly in their life. They did it for themselves, for their loved ones and for the betterment of everyone else. They baked their banana bread, they threw themselves into perfecting sourdough starter. They delivered groceries for the elderly. Singers treated their home-bound neighbours to operatic performances free of charge. It was so...wholesome. 

Then, these things were small respites from the crushing waves of anxiety as we grappled with what our coming weeks and months would look like. Looking back, and taken together I think that the nastiness of the people in this world was actually outshone by our beauty and togetherness. Can you think of a time that’s ever happened in your life? It was glorious. 

Social cohesion. It’s a term that social scientists use to describe what we’re lacking these days, torn apart by misinformation, polarization and social media giants who don’t have our best interests in mind. What we experienced earlier in the worst year of recent times was perhaps social cohesion in a way that only wars and pandemics can manifest.