The exercise of forming New Year’s resolutions typically involves a review of where we went wrong. Developing a coherent narrative of the year gone by is always an inherent challenge, none more so than for 2020.
Because the COVID-19 pandemic is still raging across the country, it feels premature to write about lessons learned. Some of those who have contracted the virus are no worse for the wear; others not so lucky. Probably the biggest surprise — though scientists chide us for acting so — is that a pandemic of such magnitude could occur in this day and age. Such naivete is dangerous.
In fact, earlier this week officials with the World Health Organization warned this pandemic may not be “necessarily the big one,” and that “we need to get our act together … for something that may be even more severe in the future.”
The virus that causes COVID-19 will soon become endemic much like chicken pox and malaria, and require routine vaccination programs — an incredible challenge for the world.
Globally, more than 1.7 million have died from the coronavirus.
To better prepare, it’s critical the United States re-up its membership with the W.H.O., which it helped establish 50-plus years ago. In May, the U.S. withdrew from the health organization, blaming it for the coronavirus’ spread to the United States.
More than anything, politics has made a mess of our response to the pandemic.
Many have cued their actions according to that of the president, who continues to view it dismissively, despite the fact that it has taken the lives of more than 335,000 Americans.
As a newspaper, we sometimes get the privilege of people sharing their stories with us. None have been more heartbreaking than those whose lives have been turned upside-down by the pandemic, sometimes in just a matter of weeks.
So for 2021, I’ll continue to mask up and hole up as much as possible until a vaccine becomes readily available.
THAT THIS is the last day of the year and President Trump continues efforts to overturn the 2020 election is a national embarrassment. The United States touts its elections as a model to the world. In a democracy, the people elect their leaders. I wince when I see election signs still up that read: “SAVE FREEDOM, VOTE TRUMP.” Trump’s intransigence seeds doubts not only as to our election system’s credibility, but of that as the country as a whole.
I’ve been heartened to hear from many Republicans that they, too, are beyond disappointed in the president’s refusal to concede the race, making me realize we’re not as far apart as I had imagined as to what we deem important in our leaders; things like honesty and decency.
And while I take solace in knowing we will soon have a new president, it’s made me realize that I need to be more vocal, more active, in supporting those I believe are qualified candidates. My guess is that a lot of us are armchair quarterbacks, feeling guilty that we let others do the work. And to be honest, up until now I didn’t think even a president could actually damage our country’s democracy. After all, that’s what the checks and balances of our system of government are all about.
But even that has been proven fallible.
THIS IS how we learn. How we become determined. How we don’t give up. Because we know we can be better. And that this country deserves our best.
