Positives In A Pandemic

Photo by Vlada Karpovich from Pexels

Looking for positivity in a pandemic that has killed hundreds of thousands in the United States alone, sickened millions more, spiked unemployment rates across multiple industries, and disproportionately affected racial minorities can seem, to put it mildly, distasteful.

Back when hospitals were bursting at the seams, healthcare workers were being forced to re-use PPE, and “social distancing” was first wending its way into our lexicon, I cringed seeing families share photos on social media of their new wall art that read “When the world stayed apart, together was our favorite place to be.” TV commercials cheerily proclaiming that “We’re all in this together” seemed disingenuous at best. And every day, the crushing isolation and uncertainty weighed heavily as “two weeks to flatten the curve” stretched on for months with no end in sight.

But now, after all the fear and grieving, case and death numbers are dropping and the vaccine, effective beyond what even the most optimistic scientists could imagine, is finally making its way into arms across the world. While the negative aspects of a global pandemic are painfully numerous, now feels like the time to start to acknowledge that, with a little soul searching, we can wring a bit of good out of a wholly awful year.

Here’s the bright side: