A Year Of Soberness, A Time Like No Other

This thanksgiving, let us begin our salvage together, by first extending our words of “Thank you for everything you do. We are in this together.”

I was sitting by my desk, about to begin my afternoon read when my normally dormant cellphone delivered a quiver of ringtones. Out of curiosity and an urge to stay connected, I picked it up only to be struck by another news that plunged the soccer world into wail.

“Argentinian legend, Diego Maradona, passed away after a reported heart attack.” One read.

“Soccer world mourns a true giant.” Another comes.

Messages began swarming in. In the blink of an eye, my Instagram feed was inundated with images of black-and-white, in the depiction of the Argentinian hero.

This was yet another instance that wrenches your heart, and that feeling could only be described as a reminiscent of countless other grievances impossible to be enumerated in this appalling year. That moment of shock and disbelief serves as an epitome of our searing year—an economic recession, the death of various prominent figures, a bleaching blast in Beirut displacing hundreds of thousand, a ferocious war between Armenia and Azerbaijian again displaying the incompatible nature of their animosity in spite of a ruinous toll—all against the backdrop of a rampant virus.

Unlike any other thanksgiving, this year’s Special Thursday tarnishes at its core, rendering a mixed hymn of sorts. In the midst of a prolonged pandemic—one’s end so aloof with no sense of normalcy in sight—we adapt to the new normal whilst elaborating our gratitude akin to any other thanksgiving. At a time of appreciation and joy, the very pieces of thankfulness shredded into debris, as those truthfully gracious substances of twenty-twenty rests conspicuously absent.

2020 has been quite a ride. A ride shrouded with dread and despair melded into glimmers of hope and warmth.

Gratitude persists, however, even as the plight and unsettling winter pours a sense of pessimism.

We must remain thankful for those who have, despite being human beings just like you and me, put themselves on the frontlines against a ravaging virus, thrusting all they have to keep our world running. They are no superhero, yet the valor displayed and staunch dedication to serving our partaken humanity with everything they have.

In spite of those gratitude, we must never halt extending our sympathies to the countless individuals across the world who, at a time of crisis when many of us merely have to adapt to a new way of life, have taken a huge toll—whether economic or psychological. The coronavirus pandemic has brought about pressing problems pending to be resolved, on top of the innumerable underlying issues plaguing our world—the future of our society is no better than grim, and it’ll be up to us to work and salvage it.

This thanksgiving, let us remain humble, looking to those selfless warriors running our world while recognizing the amount of work left for us to do. Let’s be thankful of the past and make our best out of the future.