Unity in a Time of Division

What would have been considered as “crazy” only a few years ago has become our new normal. In the times of the coronavirus pandemic, adapting and taking everything day by day has become a method of coping for many people.

What frightens me the most about all of this is not the illness itself, but the division it is creating through so many people. There are much larger issues to discuss right now, like climate change, inclusion, diversity, and racism. If we could all find harmony and peace and lay down our disagreements, a lot could happen. It doesn’t mean that we should all have the same ideas; in fact, our different ideas and opinions are what make us human and interesting. When we label people with different mindsets as “stupid” or “misinformed”, that is how wars, holocausts, segregations, and judgements like racism or sexism can happen. Though we may disagree with others – and we have the full right to do so – by no means does this suggest that we can judge them just because they may think differently than us.

And yet, day-to-day, I see many examples of people labelling each other in groups, and judging them for it. Some of these examples have nothing to do with the pandemic, either.

It makes me sad that people are judged so harshly these days. Because I’m not vaccinated with the coronavirus vaccine, I myself could be called an “anti-vaxxer”. I wouldn’t consider myself someone opposed to vaccines at all – as a young child I’ve been immunized against multiple diseases and illnesses, and by no means do I think that vaccines are terrible things. However, what I do believe is that people should have a choice with what they do with their bodies, and that others should respect their choices. If one decides not to be vaccinated (in this case, against COVID-19), that does not necessarily put them in the over-simplified box of “anti-vaxxer”. This is too complex a situation to be labelling everyone who doesn’t get immunized as someone opposed to all vaccines – or, in a similar case, labelling someone who has gotten vaccinated as “gullible” or “naïve”. Again, we don’t have to agree with every single person on this earth – but we do need to respect them.

Respecting people regardless their choices is not easy. Though I write that it is a way to make amends with others and create a better world, that doesn’t mean that looking past the choices people make and the way they live isn’t difficult. For example, as someone who believes we need to do something to slow down climate change, I may not see eye-to-eye with someone who works at a big oil and gas company. It really, truly is hard to look past others’ actions, but even acknowledging that other people who think differently than you still deserve the same amount of respect is one way to work towards accepting.

There’s much to learn from the pandemic. How we can all work together and put our differences aside; how all people should be treated equally, no matter what they choose to do with their bodies; and how slowing down and taking care of ourselves is more beneficial than not. I hope that as we adjust to this new normal, we take the time to look after ourselves, respect others, and ultimately work together to create a better world by coexisting. But the only way to do that is to accept that we’re all different people, and that’s not a bad thing.

Even if you don’t agree with my words, thank you for taking the time to read this post. I hope that it can inspire even one person to create more empathy in our world.