It Took A Pandemic

It took a pandemic to value the skills and expertise of scientists.

It took a pandemic to acknowledge the heroism of nurses and doctors on the front lines.

It took a pandemic to realize how essential grocery store workers, mail carriers, and municipal employees are.

It took a pandemic to ask why Silicon Valley big tech firms were hoarding millions of N95 masks.

It took a pandemic value the work and livelihood of the employees of major sporting arenas.

It took a pandemic to have multimillion-dollar athletes donate funds to help secure the financial security of their local communities.

It took a pandemic to put professional athletes' health as a priority rather than the regular competitions that put them at risk for serious long-term injuries.

It took a pandemic to realize the dexterity and dedication of our nation's teachers.

It took a pandemic to realize the importance of the nation's school lunch program on our most vulnerable children.

It took a pandemic to realize the very serious problem of child abuse in this country.

It took a pandemic to admit that not every single child goes home to reliable and fast high-speed internet to do his or her homework at night.

It took a pandemic to see that college students may have book smarts, but won't listen to reason in a public health crisis. 

It took a pandemic to see just how callous the NCAA is that uses college athletes' likeness to make billions of dollars but won't let these same athletes create a COVID-19 GoFundMe.

It took a pandemic to realize that distance education should have always been a viable option for various segments of our population.

It took a pandemic to understand that some of our country's most prestigious universities would rather hoard their endowments than contribute their fair share during a time of crisis.

It took a pandemic to create standard policies of loan forgiveness.

It took a pandemic to understand that a missed month's rent cannot and should not lead to an automatic eviction.

It took a pandemic to realize that a universal basic income is not a far-fetched idea as many would have us believe.

It took a pandemic to see that paid family and maternity leave should be universal and should accurately reflect the need to take time off during extreme health emergencies.

It took a pandemic to temporarily remove the massive barriers that low-income community members face when trying to access emergency medical treatments in this country.

It took a pandemic to understand that a lack of health insurance should not be a death warrant for any person.

It took a pandemic to move this country toward the more equitable voting process of having universal vote-by-mail.

It took a pandemic to question the practice of inviting in outside communities to vote at senior living centers and retiree communities.

It took a pandemic to raise awareness of the unhealthy environment created by caucuses, adding to the growing list of reasons to permanently remove this antiquated "democratic" process.

It took a pandemic to get moderators and presidential candidates to engage in a debate about a practical, on-the-ground political issue rather than stirring up minor differences to draw out conflict and create good-for-television ratings and drama.

It took a pandemic to see Republicans willing to lie to their constituents about the nature of a pandemic to line their own pockets.

It took a pandemic to get Republicans to admit they would gladly kill Grandma to help boost the stock market.

It took a pandemic to show Republican governors that willingly choose to oversee their own personal death panels by ignoring science.

It took a pandemic to demonstrate that Republicans would gleefully use a time of global crisis to create an unregulated half-trillion-dollar slush fund in hopes that nobody would notice.

It took a pandemic to see that America is no longer a leader on the world stage.

It took a pandemic to see that Democrats are truly fighting for American ideals.

It took a pandemic to limit our children's use of technology in the home.

It took a pandemic to reconnect with nature by walking around the local park.

It took a pandemic to create daily exercise time from yoga to walking to biking.

It took a pandemic to take out our phones and call and check in with our elderly parents or grandparents.

It took a pandemic to have us reconnect with our neighbors at a safe but manageable distance.

It took a pandemic to get us to think about society's most vulnerable and what they need during a time of crisis.

It took a pandemic to reevaluate our lives and truly discover what is important to us.

And it took a pandemic to realize that there were the conversations that we should have been having all along.