When ALL this is over I will

When all this is over I will … Surely many of us think or say those phrases in the last days, months. When this is over I will enjoy going out more, I will hug my parents, grandparents more. I’m going to enjoy being outdoors… Is it true? Will we become more receptive, more empathetic to the rest and to the whole world? Or is it just an expression of despair, like when we are in a distressing situation and think “if it goes well, I will do this or that” and when it comes out (good or bad) we forget what we promised and continue with our lives as always. The pandemic has made us stay home, that’s for sure. It has made us rethink our lives. Values, times, urgencies that always seemed inevitable seem that they were not so much. But maybe we liked some of it. Being in a hurry meant that we were important, that SOMEONE was waiting for us, awaited our response, or expected us to go to this or that place.

Today there are no troubles, emergencies. We are not that important, perhaps? Or it was not true that the urgency was such.

In countries that are gradually lifting restrictions, people go out into the streets like ants, to enjoy the sun, the outdoors like dogs that have been locked up all day. The beaches were covered with people willing to enjoy the sea and the sun and leave behind the horror of so many deaths.

These people will be more in solidarity with the other, will their time of confinement have been used to help them understand that we are all the same, that it does not matter the color of skin or the religion that you profess, we are all the same? If the pandemic failed to make Humanity establish new values, -the care for the real neighbor, not the one that is said in the Churches; really enjoying life, and not just the first two weeks of freedom — we will be in serious trouble.

There is much talk that the Lockdown was beneficial to Earth, it was a respite from the massive pollution escalation that was unfolding. Animals came out of their caves and took to the streets, the air was cleaned for several days, and people in their homes reflected.

Hopefully the next generations when they look back and see what happened during 2020 think that it served at least one thing: that it was the change that was needed to turn the tide of humanity. The necessary rudder to avoid crashing the ship and to be able to live in peace among all humans, and in relation to Mother Nature.

I also think that perhaps this confinement serves to realize that we cannot really expect the government to solve everything for us. It is a matter of respect and civic awareness. In countries that have it and have been asked to stay away to avoid contagions, that not many meetings have done, so and they were able to manage the disease much better.

It is time to take responsibility for our actions, take responsibility for what we do or fail to do, and not wait for the Government, our parents or the Religion to solve anything for us.

I think it is one by one, but just as the saying of the drop in the ocean says, the ocean would not be the same without us.

Know that each of our acts has consequences, and decide based on knowing it. Perhaps the Virus spread because a Wuhan citizen wanted to eat a bat, perhaps not. Perhaps separating waste, taking care of water, being more responsible with the environment will make a difference. Maybe not.

I believe that if each one of us is responsible for his actions, we can make this world turn from this darkness in which we have submerged ourselves towards the side of the Light.