Wow. What a year. After 2020, we could have been forgiven for thinking that 2021 couldn’t possibly throw up anything that could catch us by surprise compared to what we’d already been through. But, somehow it still managed to keep us guessing, wondering what the morning news would bring us.
We’ve had shock resignations—and not so shocking—of political figures and professional athletes, protests and lockdowns, vaccine mandates and industrial action. And, if the pandemic didn’t have the novelty factor it did in 2020, it made up for it with endurance. Cases never seemed to drop back to that magic zero, and restrictions seemed to be never ending.
The centre cannot hold
I guess it is hardly surprising that, as things dragged on, cracks began to appear in the united front that federal and state governments had, for the most part, presented during the first half of the pandemic. And, on an individual level, you could sense people’s fortitude beginning to fray a little. Where there had been a sense of pulling together, the mood was one of just being over it all. Less smiles, less, patience, less acceptance of the need for everyone to make sacrifices.
We've seen a lot more pointing of fingers and blame games from politicians, and threats of violence and poisonous rhetoric becoming a growing part of public debate. We’ve also seen a growing divide between the vaccinated and the unvaccinated, the vaccine positive and the anti-vaxers, that has caused rifts in friendships and families.
When it rains it pours
It's hard to see it getting any better as we move into the New Year either, especially with an election approaching and the major parties already well into campaign mode. There will be no punches pulled this time around, and the brief suspension of usual partisan politics during the early days of the emergency is long since forgotten. In fact, it has added an extra edge to the political sniping we’ve come to expect because now it is time to take credit for everything good that was achieved, and make it clear where the blame for everything negative lies.
But, what is good for politicians isn’t always good for the country. After the election is over, we still have to find a way to live with each other. Repairing the damage caused by the pandemic is going to be hard enough if we all work together, so increasing the divisions already appearing doesn’t achieve anything other than win a few votes.
Cumulative Kindness
I don’t know about you, but I don’t have any desire to go through another year like 2020 or 2021, I am ready to come out of the other side of the tunnel into the sunshine. Forget the politicians, it is what we do over the next few months that will decide whether 2022 is more of the same, or the year we look back on as when things finally started to get better.
That calls for us to simply be kind to each other. We know how tough it has been, and we need to remember that is just as true for the person we are talking to. Being understanding when someone is more hesitant than you are to catch up, remembering that someone is doing their job and doesn’t deserve to cop your frustration, remembering those on the other side are still human and treating that way.
We can’t control the virus, and we can’t control the actions of other people, but we can control what we choose to do. If enough of us make the right choice, it can change the future.