A world divided

We’re about ready to head back to normalcy here in the United States. A year plus of COVID-19-related lockdowns, impacting lives in so many ways. Several people I know have contracted the virus. I hadn’t had to deal with death like the families and friends of the 580,000+ who had fallen due to COVID-19. I saw it through the news, through social media, through the stories of my friends.

In my ignorance, I thought that when we solved our COVID problems, the rest of the world would be fine too. After all, we were the ones behind the curve.

But in a cruel, saddening way, over a year into the pandemic, I am starting to personally experience the horrors of this virus. No, I haven’t contracted it. But day in and day out, I am hearing about close family and family friends in India who are being hospitalized or have passed away. And it’s happening in masses. I’m hearing stories about how people having their oxygen supplies cut because of the shortage and dying as a result of that. In one family that I have known nearly my entire life, everyone contracted COVID. It was the parents meeting their parents in India while their daughter, who was studying for a year in Botswana, met up with them as well. Many of them are now in the ICU in critical condition.

So many of my Indian American friends are going through the same thing now. For this past year and change, we were in a place of privilege where we didn’t have to personally feel a lot of what COVID resulted in. And now that it’s hitting us in so many directions right now, our eyes are being opened wide to reality.

And there’s nothing we can do but pray and hope for the best.