To say that the last six months of 2020 have been unusual would be the understatement of the century. What began with an international lockdown and heated discourse over the COVID-19 pandemic transformed into a global movement decrying police brutality sparked by the death of George Floyd and a litany of record-shattering natural disasters ravaging the earth both at home and abroad. While some people were faced with the isolation of their own abode for what seemed like an eternity, others confronted a deadly foe on the frontlines of the pandemic, or rallied in the streets against injustice. As a presidential race more fierce and divisive than all those that preceded it looms and revered Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg passed away, a new conundrum arose within a deeply divided legislature. These last several months have fundamentally transformed America, for better or for worse, leaving so much unknown for what lies ahead.
It is through such adversity that we have emerged as a nation and defined who we are: a people with steadfast values and a shared faith in our ability to overcome, no matter what difficulties we face. Crisis is how we learn from our mistakes, how we adapt to the changing times, how we strengthen ourselves in spite of the odds. No matter how harrowing or unbecoming everything may seem in today’s world, we should be conscious of the fact that we are standing on the shoulders of those who have faced similar struggles before, struggles that paved the way to our world today.
Sure, this is not to say that our nation is without flaws or our values are beyond question. We are clearly not perfect, as the past months have shown. But we must remember that whatever differences we hold in our beliefs, the things we share in common are infinitely more important, because at the end of the day, this is not only a fight to overcome a virus or battle injustice or combat climate change. This is a fight to attain a United States we all can love and cherish. But we cannot achieve this future alone. Our adversaries are equally as important in this fight as our allies, and the common ground that we scarcely consider far outweighs the polar divisions that dominate our contemporary world. We must remember that the best way to enact change is not to dispel the other’s claims, but to convince them that they are on the same side as you; it is not to emphasize disparity, but to highlight community.
This pandemic is something we must all work together in defeating. We cannot fight the virus, fight the injustice, fight the wildfires and hurricanes, simply by preaching our beliefs to those we know will agree with us. We have to possess the bigger hearts in this defining moment and invite the other side to the table. Only together can we win.
Unsigned editorials reflect the general opinion of the staff and not the opinion of any single editor.
