Items

• 2020-07-01

  The hidden costs of the pandemic

  Covid-19 was a surprising event that has shaken how many view the world. I am here now retelling my story on behalf of HNSC 2100, Fall 2020, M. Horlyck-Romanovsky. The pandemic has brought the worst in many. People were selfish, people took advantage of those who were desperate, and there were countless fights for small things in stores when it wasn't a big necessity. It brought me to think that humanity is really that selfish. But in a turn of things, it also brought together many people. Those who cared for one another were always there to talk to, sharing what they could and giving helpful advice to handle this pandemic. This leads me to my family and friends. When it first began, I was scared and felt all alone. My friends were the first ones I'd contact and first hear from. Worry washed over me when I realized there were certain friends I rarely talked to, making me want to go through who I had contact with and those I didn't. Time felt short and precious as you see many people's lives ending too soon because of this virus. In a sense, it made me value life more. While this opened my eyes to one side of life, it also opened my views to another part of life. When there is a more significant issue, those in power still refuse to do what is for the greater good, but instead for profits. What could have been a perfect time to provide resources and funds to marginalized and those in poverty communities they desperately need to prepare for a foreseeable shutdown? Instead, nothing was done for a while, and jobs were taken away to keep everyone at home. There was money to use, especially in bigger businesses and the Government, but it needed to be seen as profitable. What was worse about this was that I actually worried that the Government wouldn't have money in general, but looking into how more prominent corporations asked for millions, if not billions, in compensation for lost revenue, which they did receive in the end, made me extremely upset at the priorities of where our society is. Not only first losing faith in humanity but also in our own governmental structures. I wanted to grow up to work at these more prominent corporations due to their fame and how they represent themselves. But seeing this and the lack of giving back for the greater good, I have lost interest in even being associated with these types of corporations. One big thing that did come from all this chaos was the need to advocate for the smaller groups of people who can't or are afraid to speak up. I now want to work in a place where we can easily provide feedback/assistance to communities that are being impacted but not cared for. I take inspiration from my friends who have been there by my side, taking time when they could and always showing their support. Without them, I couldn't have gone through the pandemic with my sanity intact. While on the topic of sanity, the ways that the cost of living and prices of food went up at such a dire time of need were the most insane part of this pandemic. No one can afford food; it is clear no one is willing to spend on higher quality foods, and it's going to waste, so in turn, the prices would go down, right? No. The entire industry would rather destroy their own crops than give them away at dirt-cheap prices when it would have benefited everyone. Getting rid of the excess waste while making some money for selling it cheaply and the people can actually eat healthily as the prices plummet due to an abundance of this resource. Being a good defense against the virus if your immune system is at its peak! It infuriates me that this did not occur. My family struggled to make ends meet and put food on the table. It was the first time I had to reach out to food pantries, and I saw such long lines. It was a saddening sight to see. Every day, week, month, you'd see a line. Just how many really needed help, but no one could provide it. And when help did arrive, it was a measly couple hundred dollars or close to a thousand after half a year of suffering. If only food prices would have gone down as the entire world was going down, too, that would have been a blessing in itself. Even today, it is hard not to find myself using a food pantry. I wish I wasn't and didn't require these services, but it has become a regular occurrence ever since the pandemic. Now that it has quieted down while still occurring around the states and the world, the virus has taught us one thing. We must be ready to fend for ourselves; it is a sad truth, but it has become an untrustable and helpful place for the Government. I hoped we could move toward a better future, but this wasn't true. But that is what I took from this, and I plan to do work to combat and help others. The one good thing I see that came from this is my experience.