I know many would prefer to forget these past two years of isolation and horror which has led us to be fearful of living life itself. The fear of losing a loved one or even one’s own life has impounded us to hibernate and seek conveniences at every turn. We have learned to avoid contact and live in cocoons which affect our own mental health.
This behavior has caused us to be more dependent on the media and take sides on issues that divide us, rely on google for information as if google is the best arbiter of scientific or political information. The media and politicians along with corporations push forward their agendas, spreading fear throughout the nation.
Have we become so shallow that we can no longer decipher the truth from convincing rhetoric?
Have we become so blind to the ongoing manipulation making us dependent upon this broken system that feels more and more totalitarian as time passes?
The news and social media have become the driving force to this new system of division, this society of control.
If anything, COVID-19 has shown us the true intent of big business, politicians, and special interest groups that seek to profit from consumers during a humanitarian crisis. The American government (us) has footed the bill for pandemic relief while those in power pocketed the money, clearly demonstrating a lack of moral social responsibility. However, this pandemic didn’t only prove how politically broken our society is but socially as well. The lack of care for one another, the division around mask wearing and vaccines, the incessant individualism and lack of communal responsibility.
For two years this has been going on. We must remember that it is the people who make a difference by working together.
On a positive note, what COVID has shown me is that endless hours of work cannot compare with spending quality time with loved ones. Money cannot buy time, no matter how much we wish it could. COVID has brought the harsh reality that all we have is now. Life, family, friends hold more value than money. Business owners can criticize workers and call them lazy or say the government has created a huge unemployment problem but the truth is people are tired of the abusive hours and lack of benefits they were being subjected to before the pandemic. Americans are finally waking up to the unfair demands of a money-grubbing society and choosing to rather spend more time with family and friends.
On this New Years, I wonder if a new America, a more compassionate America, an America of love and unity can emerge from the ashes of this pandemic or will we allow those in power to continue to divide us for the sake of profit.
I pray that this new year, 2022, be a year of reflection and hope and that we may forge a new path, one of compassion, understanding, and love for each of us.
George Soria
Chairman