Need Hope? History Has Some

Earlier this week, the Today Show had a guest historian who was discussing COVID-19 and the ongoing pandemic. The historian was asked to put the pandemic in a historical context. She explained that when we look back on major events in history, such as the Great Depression and World War I and II, we can see how the stories ended. We can see the beginning, the middle and the end. We can see the resolve and the healing afterwards. We see how they were able to survive, learn from their struggles and make progress. The challenge now is that we are in the story at this very moment. We do not know how long this pandemic will go on for or what the end result will be. And that is hard. The historian explained that many historical figures remark how they would have been unable to get through those challenging times had they known how hard it would be. 

I found this comforting. To trust that there will be an end, that we will get through this pandemic and upon reflection, recognize our strength and resiliency. History is proof of that. There will be challenging times ahead. We must let go of the timeline and continue to become comfortable with the unknown. We are all so much stronger than we think and I believe this year is proof of that.