Melody M., CaliforniaI like to think I am an individual of the future. That I am ambitious and proud enough to only look ahead, and seek hope in the horizons – to never be pulled down by what came before me. To never let time catch up with me. In these past months, exactly that happened.
As the 2019 coronavirus outbreak took hold of the world, much of the country was in a complete frenzy. Supermarkets were flooded by people who were confident an apocalypse was near. I will never forget my stupefaction as I strolled down the aisle of a local grocery store, looking for hot sauce, my eyes widening as every single shelf was completely empty. I caught the eye of an employee, her hair tousled and face tired from endlessly attempting to restock the store.
She gave a weary sigh as I exclaimed, “What happened here?”
She shrugged, “Your guess is as good as mine – Even the vitamins are gone!”
As I sat in bed that same night, I scrolled through the news on my phone. The virus was here—and here to stay. In addition to the heartbreak and suffering of the families affected—hundreds were fighting amongst themselves for toilet paper, hand sanitizer, and masks. People were getting injured while brawling in front of the local Walmart; some even left with cuts and bruises on their faces. Furthermore, countless individuals were bulk-buying essentials, then selling them for up to ten times the original price for profit. This was leading to many vulnerable individuals not being able to receive the care and supplies they need. As I digested all of this information under my covers, my head started to ache. I hastily shut off my phone and placed it on the far end of my side table, as if the information would have less of an effect if the source was further away. I squeezed my eyes closed and tried, as if by magic, willing everything to get better by the time they reopened. Of course, by the following morning not only had the issue not magically disappeared—it had gotten significantly worse.
The ensuing 8 months was a story of anxiety, grief, and great disappointment. In America, the coronavirus has now resulted in the loss of over 200,000 innocent lives, a significant economic shift, and a complete overturn in personal interactions. I can definitively say that I am incredibly fortunate with the hand I have been dealt. My family and I are healthy, our family business is relatively stable, and I have members of my household to keep me company. There are many, many Americans that cannot say the same. Even those who survive are faced with long-term effects of the virus, millions have lost their jobs and sources of income, and countless individuals are stuck inside their homes with no one to comfort or to talk to them. Along the way, there have been moments of hope, followed by immediate hopelessness. “One step forward, two steps back,” My father exclaimed one gloomy Monday while reading his newspaper. In order to truly understand what those around you are feeling, you must put yourself in their shoes. So that’s exactly what I did.
The magnitude of exactly what was happening around us was finally beginning to settle in when I decided to start volunteering in my community. Perhaps ‘settle’ is an inappropriate word for this scenario. I remember it more as being an effect similar to being hit with a ton of bricks. After a suitable amount of time anxiously pacing around my house—which drove my mother absolutely mad—I decided I would get up and do something. I had spent months on my couch mindlessly watching movies in a depressed haze, trying to find some sort of reprieve from the real world. But, rather than running away from it, it was time I faced it. So I began volunteering in my community. I helped an organization working with at-risk youth, started volunteering over Zoom, calling kids with terminal illnesses, and also joined a non-profit civilian auxiliary of the Air Force. More recently, I even volunteered as a poll worker for the 2020 Presidential Election! Never in a million years would I have thought that I had the capability to participate in any of these opportunities. However, I pushed myself to help out in my community, and, in turn, it helped me feel better too.
If the coronavirus has taught me one thing, it is this—when you feel like you can’t help anyone, you actually can. As I scrolled through the news on my phone all those months ago, I felt incredibly overwhelmed. The numbers on the screen were mind-boggling. At first thousands, then hundreds, then millions. It would not stop. I felt the unstoppable urge to get up and help. But how can one person help millions? Turns out, you don’t need to. In my own small way, I made myself useful and impacted a few lives. And a few lives are better than none. Indeed, time caught up with me at the end. So from now forward, I will decide no longer to think of the future as this dystopian ideal that I will reach for. Instead, I am focusing on the now, because what we do now shapes our future. Today, as the results of the 2020 election are slowly revealed, for me, this statement rings especially true.
Destiny R., Tennessee, 11th Grade
Adoniah D., Texas, 12th Grade
Jay H., Montana
