I watched a video on Instagram the other day where Trevor Noah interviewed the owner of Instagram about the current state of things. Trevor took questions from viewers and one of the questions asked was what they thought the world would look like post Covid-19. That’s a question I’ve thought about ever since I watched that video. 

I haven’t really come up with an answer other than, I hope this crisis heals some of the hatred and division in this country and the world as a whole. Has there ever been a time in history where we, as a global community, have faced the same threat? Where our sameness has been so obvious? This virus doesn’t care about race, religion, sexuality, how much money you have, or how popular you are. The young and old alike are dying in numbers that are far too high.

I hope when we come out the other side of this we do so with more compassion and better understanding of our differences. I hope we learn to slow down and really look at the world around us and appreciate the beauty that’s there. That we better learn to value the small things, the things that are truly important. I hope we take a look at everything that failed during this crisis and we figure out better ways of doing things so we never find ourselves here again. And I hope we learn that the value of a single human life far outweighs that of any monetary sum.

I still don’t know the answer to the question and I’m not sure anyone does. However, I choose to hope for a better future rather than despair over what has been lost. That doesn’t mean I don’t look at the growing number of casualties each day with a heavy heart, knowing each one represents a human being. That doesn’t mean I’m unconcerned with the hardships of others or the state of things. I am only human after all. I simply wake up each morning and choose hope.