As 2020 draws to a close, a note of thanks

 

There’s little debate that 2020 was an awful year, but I can’t let it end without a note of thanks. Not to the people, or cosmic forces, that caused all this misery, but to the people whose heroic actions have given us hope.

Health care workers are some of the most selfless people I've ever met. They aren’t in it for the money. They genuinely care about people, and we’ve seen that demonstrated this year by their dedication to treating patients during the Covid-19 pandemic. Even when their own health and safety was at risk, they bravely went to work every day. 

Photo by Gustavo Fring of Pexels.

 

I’ve spoken to nurses who held the hands of dying patients when their families couldn’t be there. I’ve heard doctors describe how they put terrified patients on ventilators, and those patients pleaded with them to bring them back.

Many of these providers are frustrated that people continually ignore clear safety guidelines, yet they don’t stand in judgment. They treat every patient, no matter their views on the pandemic, because that’s what health care providers do.

They’ve faced a five-alarm emergency every day for over nine months. Imagine your toughest, busiest, scariest day at work, and have that every single day, and knowing tomorrow will be the same.

I don’t know how they do it. But I know our society would collapse without them.

Another note of thanks goes to the scientific researchers. Think about this a second. It took over 20 years of research to develop an effective polio vaccine, and the disease had been around for hundreds of years. Scientists found several effective vaccines for Covid-19 less than a year after the disease was discovered. That is a truly astonishing breakthrough.

The importance of scientific research shouldn’t be underestimated. The rapid development of vaccines came about because years were spent researching the genetic makeup of viruses and novel RNA treatments. The work was done by scientists from multiple countries, and some of the key researchers were immigrants.

This shows what happens when government and private funders devote their resources to curing a disease. Imagine what else they can achieve, how many lives they can save, with the right resources.

So, to every researcher who goes into the lab, thank you. When humanity is helpless to fight a disease, you’re our only hope.

And finally, I want to thank to essential workers. I’m talking about the people who had no option but to leave their house and do their jobs, while people like me had the option of sheltering indoors. Grocery clerks, delivery workers, first responders, police, teachers, drivers, construction workers, government workers, and so many more, many of you have vital jobs that help our society function. Thank you for your hard work.

I wish changing the calendar to 2021 will solve all our problems, but I don’t think that’s the case. Let’s remember this. We are stronger when we are unified. A virus doesn’t discriminate. It doesn’t care who you are. It doesn’t matter whether you believe it exists or not.

When we’re facing a virus-like threat, whether it’s a natural disaster or a man-made disaster like war or climate change, we must come together and follow the right path.

Here’s to a better 2021.