Like leafless trees reaching for the sun in Wisconsin on these warm spring days, let us stand tall in the light. Let us feel the pulse of hope again. Yes, it is a new season for being human in this world, but we are up for the challenge. It is our nature to strive. Pushing through the pandemic fog and fears will inevitably help us find a stronger way—a more resilient way. Being innovative is who we are. Growing is what we do. As we reimagine our future, we will stretch ourselves courageously to heights we’ve never reached before.
And isn’t that why we have courage? To help us make it through dark nights? To empower us to stand tall and true in the light of a new day? To bravely face unknowns? To stand up and change things that need changing?
It isn’t over, this pandemic. Yes, more people will die.
Yes, more families will grieve losses. Yes, more heroes will step up. Yes, our poorest and most vulnerable will pay the highest price. The almighty buck will be passed. Blame will be placed. And yes, selfishness will rear its unmasked face again and again.
And still, we share one future on this planet as members of one global family. And still, we must cooperate on solutions. Nothing will change these facts. If the COVID-19 pandemic has made us aware of anything, it is that we are interconnected through every action we take no matter where we are in the world. As we parcel out “our share,” we take it from others. As we contaminate what we touch in this world, we contaminate the world for others. Just when some thought “man” could conquer and control all, Mother Nature demonstrated she had a different idea.
Reinventing our new future will require strategic actions of all kinds and at every level in our homes, communities, and countries.
Could this pandemic be just the kind of wake-up call we need to make unprecedented strides toward a more sustainable way of life in the future?
Wouldn’t it be a good time to also consider how to redesign our future to mitigate climate change and avert a more catastrophic global disaster?
Just as definitions of “essential” are being redefined, so is every aspect of our community and home life. Our needs are being reprioritized. Our supply lines are being reorganized. Our communications and education systems are evolving. Standards of health and safety are being rewritten. Miles are less traveled. Families are learning what it means to get back to basics. More children are playing outdoors and more gardens are being planted. Could these changes give us break-throughs in addressing climate concerns, too?
How much of “what was” will remain? No matter what, we can count on the need for courage as we take bold strides into a new way of living, working, and leading. A new frame of reference is taking shape. Our old paradigms are gone—decaying like rotten stumps.
A new season of life is upon us. Overnight, it seems we are different. Or are we?
We are still in it together. We still breathe the same air, drink the same water, share the same oceans, and impact the same planet with every action we take. Everything and everyone is still connected to everything and everyone else.
We are feeling the COVID-19 winds of change. They have blown some of us down. Most of us have held on, anchored by deep roots. Yes, it is a new season for being human. We thirst to taste the sweet sap of life again. We want to leave this winter behind.
They say strong winds produce stronger trees. Like deciduous trees on this spring day, we, too, will have a rebirth when it’s time. We, too, will stand tall under the sun and grow. Yes, we were made for this challenge. We humans were made to adapt to new seasons.
—Patty Dreier, author of Empowered: One Planet at a Time