Kaylyn Kleszcz

The current state of global affairs has put so many lives on pause. This has been a truly historic event that we cannot begin to imagine the repercussions of. A state where all of our worlds collide and the battle of being beat down, only to get back up to continue the fight continues.

Summarizing one's own experiences during the pandemic is not something easily done. This question is so complex and has so many variables that even we ourselves have a hard time categorizing. We came into this pandemic expecting a simple two weeks off and then things would continue as before. This was not the case. We were hurled into isolation, forced to try and rapidly adapt to this new way of living while balancing everything else in our lives that all seemingly stood on shaky ground. So used to our fast-paced routine lives, suddenly being halted felt like whiplash. Forced to face ourselves as we truly are. Such a situation allows for introspection and reflection. Centering ourselves, stepping outside of our routines, able to take a detour and look at the way we have lived and how we might continue to do so in the future. Knowing who we truly are and what we stand for changes the way we live our lives and the choices we make. I have gotten so close to myself and have learned things I never would have if this pandemic never occurred.

As a society, we have had to address mental health, societal misconceptions, the way in which we treat others, and how the people who sit in power may have more authority than rightly needed.

We cannot and must not talk about the pandemic without including the Black Lives Matter movement, LGBTQ issues, women issues, Asian lives, long-standing racism, etc. These issues are deeply rooted and only became truly open to many through the protests from May 2020-now. We have come to realize that being indifferent to the issues around us places us on the side of the oppressor. There is nothing more truly evil than being indifferent. We as a world need to learn that continuing to brush off issues will only prolong them and allow suffering and injustice to prosper. Inhumanity breeds inhumanity and allowing the powers we have in place to reign without oversight is a prescription for abuse. We have all first-hand seen the abuse of power as it was the basis for many of the systems that we have in place running right now.

The pandemic is a complex issue with infinite truths to it. Brings personal growth and prosperity, but also the death and buried issues of the previously considered past. Despite it all I am thankful, and the fight each day personally and socially will always continue, we all must continue to grow, Rome was not built in a day.