ARE WE OKAY?

I have just finished reading an op-ed in the New York Times by Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex where she recounts ever-so-powerfully and painfully, her experience with grief after her miscarriage earlier in the year. In the article, she opines that these challenging times call for us to be more sensitive and empathetic to one another because everyone has gone through or is currently going through some sort of pain. Needless to say, her article has sparked a lot of conversation around the subject of miscarriage which is unfortunately often considered taboo.

Granted, there are no words in the dictionary that can sufficiently describe the kind of year that 2020 has been. Life is sometimes hard but the Pandemic has compounded the pain and difficulty in navigating its challenges. Many will agree that it takes a lot of effort these days to muster even the lowest level of optimism and positivity and even then, one does so cautiously.

Personally, I have gone through my fair share of challenges this year, but none of those compare to the insufferable loss that I have witnessed in the lives of my close friends and colleagues. Naturally, as human beings we draw comfort from personal interactions and expressions such as hugs, corporate prayer and basic essence of community. But the pandemic has made these impossible! I have witnessed friends and family go through pain and suffering in solitude, and their agony being exacerbated by the sheer lack of comfort from their loved ones. Some families who lost their kin to Covid-19 were not even able to properly mourn or bury their loved ones. Never mind that sometimes we were all forced “get over” our pain because it seemed there was always another disaster waiting to happen. This new normal has truly been grossly abnormal!

I’ve recently found myself wondering about the state of our mental health not just during this pandemic but after Covid 19 goes away because it really must go away. Pundits have predicted that there will be an increase in mental health cases and extreme consequences brought about by the trauma experienced by many this year.  

At the risk of sounding alarmist, I worry that should the separation and the isolation continue, we will find it difficult to cope. Which is why the Duchess’s words in the New York Times must be embraced with wanton abandon. We must consciously and deliberately start looking out for one another because in some special way, we are connected through the pain and can find solace and strength in one another. The masks shouldn’t deter us from looking into each other’s soul and deciphering the silent and unspoken struggles.

More importantly, our reliance and hope in God must remain steady and resolute. Because when all else fails and we feel we are at our lowest, we must look to the Highest.