Life these days seems to be a waiting game. Waiting for sanity to return to the White House. Waiting for vaccination programs to start producing results. Waiting for life to get more back to normal. Waiting to enjoy live choral music and concerts. There has been so much that we used to take for granted that it's hard to imagine that we will ever travel fully and not think about what a gift it is to be able to do so. Perhaps we will even see a leap forward in the quality of life as more people stay constructively engaged it the process of self-government. Maybe we can see a real recovery and advancement of our economy with more opportunity for all our children and a new emphasis on social fairness. Possibly, these dark days of struggle may bring a dawn of good times: times so good that our grandchildren will begin to take them for granted. And maybe, just maybe, we can learn the lessons that need to be learned. Freedom and justice require eternal vigilance. Once you master the environment, you must reverently care for it. All people are part of a universal family and none can be discarded or made into objects of disrespect.
Science fiction writers have hypothesized that contact with an alien world would be the impetus that would unite all of humanity. I submit that the lesson of this pandemic is that we all must find ways to get along because there are sufficient dangers on our own planet that don't discriminate. These dangers threaten the rich and poor, educated and uneducated, all nations, all political systems, all religions, and all levels of social privilege. We have to learn to heal our rifts and build diverse and skilled teams to meet both the challenges of nature and the messes we make ourselves.
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