Unity Day - Feb 3, 2021
In the spring of 2021, I led a virtual Unity Day workshop with Annie Z. discussing the mechanism and history of pandemics. The goal of the workshop is to arm the FVS community with knowledge and a more positive mentality, and to unite everyone in combating the pandemic we are now facing. Although I was virtually learning, I could feel how stressed everyone was even through the cameras. With numerous depressing and urgent news popping up on our phones and computers, needless to say, people are increasingly worried and lost. So, inspired by what we were experiencing, Annie and I held a workshop to present some of the most well-known and pressing pandemics in the past decade and share our thoughts about the current pandemics.
In the workshop, we introduced SARS, HIV/AID, the Spanish flu, the swine flu, and compared them with the COVID-19. We revealed how powerful the COVID-19 is. I have considered if it is appropriate to talk about the pandemic in such a direct and unbiased way, since it might backfire and people may feel even more stressed looking at the disheartening data and facts. However, just like the saying: “if you know your enemy and yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles.” It is important for us to correctly perceive and know our “enemy.” But we have been very careful with our choice of words to try to avoid any possible intensification of the facts. As the information flowed out, an amazingly similar pattern can be seen among the pademics: first a huge outbreak and universal fear, then quarantine, finally vaccine and the restoration of normal life. At the time we held the workshop, COVID vaccines were on their way, meaning we were nearly at the end of this. By presenting these facts and our findings, we hope that we can diminish some of the fears, show people that scientists are making huge progress by inventing the vaccines, and uncover the fact that every one of us plays an important role in this “battle.” Also, we mentioned that those who got infected should not be discriminated against and blamed, instead, they should be seriously treated to avoid any underlying risks. By saying this, we hope to promote inclusion and equity in the FVS community, and thus making the community more sustainable and tolerant.
Due to the time difference and the fact that we were online, sadly, we were not able to carry out many activities, but we still managed to have a great interaction with everyone on the other side of the world. One of the audience members told me that she really liked my idea of picking a different color of clothes and trying something new each day to bring vitality within the community. Another person commented that my expression of “we are not scientists and doctors yet” brought a sense of hope and motivation. I am glad that I was able to achieve what I intended, and more importantly, I learned that sincere and emotional languages can convey your passion, love, and hope as a leader regardless of what kind of barriers you have with your audience, be it distance, age, or internet.