Opinion Piece: As We Overcome Covid-19, What's Next?

Now that we are slowly exiting the era known as the Covid-19 pandemic, we have to ask ourselves- what happens next? Many people view this exit as a return to our former, “normal,” pre-pandemic lives and are happy to revert to their former demaner. I strongly disagree. The Covid-19 pandemic should teach us something. As Ben Zoma says in Pirkei Avot, “who is smart, someone that learns from everyone.” I believe that this understanding can be applied to life in general. A person cannot go through life and remain static. Rather, they must constantly grow and improve on themselves. They must not dwell on past errors, but rather must strive to become a better version of themselves.

I am coming out of this pandemic having learned so much and recognizing what I must do as an individual to keep on sharpening my skills and developing in this ever-changing world. It irritates me when people say things like “Oh, it's finally over. I can now return to my former life and do the things I did before the pandemic hit.” In my view, this is the wrong mindset and it goes against the principle of growth. Hashem did not send us this pandemic for no reason. We must be cognizant that we cannot just revert to the past. We must look on to the future and take the lessons and internal reflection gained from this pandemic and apply them to our lives to better ourselves and keep on growing. We must view this period of time as an opportunity, rather than an unfortunate barrier, to develop ourselves.