I Have a Conscience

But don’t assume the pandemic was the same for me as it was for you

Lurking in the darkness and sometimes brought to life, we know of the inequalities in the world: the struggle with mental health, the need to address climate change, the lack of education for girls. The pandemic was the most recent of events to bring that to the forefront again.

We tend to live life in our bubbles, going about life minding our business. But life has other plans for us when we least expect it, throwing a spanner in the works.

How else will we take our eyes off the prize and truly see what is in front of us?

What is normal?

2020 taught me ‘normal’ is like the definition of success — it doesn’t have one meaning — it is different for everyone. Normal for me, pre-pandemic turned out to be not so normal after all. I didn’t know it, didn’t see it. And I didn’t openly acknowledge it.

Can one person’s elixir be poison to another?

2020 was a shocker — a life-altering experience, a crisis for many, but an opportunity for me. There was a dark cloud looming — like a shadow — over me for many years. I thought it was ‘my’ normal until the pandemic lifted the fog to reveal clear blue skies, just like it cleared the air in so many pollution-heavy cities of the world.

Normal changes

I look forward to a new normal, and I won’t apologize for the mammoth change one microscopic virus has hauled in my life. It was a reset, a reboot, where you switch off any device or machine and wait for a few seconds before a restart.

2020 was like those few seconds, giving me time to stop and take stock of my life. If satisfied, I carry on the same way. If an update is needed, I reevaluate and then move forward.

It was a great way to identify what not to do and build from there.

One last thought

I shouldn’t have to feel guilty. I shouldn’t need to justify why it was a good year for me. I don’t deserve judgment for feeling this way?

The world is skewed, but so could your perception.