During these times people hope for change, but also resent the change that has already happened. It’s important to understand that change is inevitable and that not all of it is bad. While this year has had varying impacts, everyone was affected to some degree. I have started looking for the good things the year has brought and how being stuck at home has impacted my outlook on life. Siddhartha, a character who experienced great personal transformation, once looked at the river that brought change and felt despair. Later Siddhartha was able to look at that same river with love.

“In this river Siddhartha had wanted to drown himself; in the old, tired, disparage Siddhartha today was drowned. The new Siddhartha, however, felt a deep love for this flowing water, and himself resolved not to leave it again so soon” Hermann Hesse, Siddhartha

While I am certainly not saying I’m glad COVID-19 and the lock downs happened, I have tried to look at the river that brought change with love like Siddhartha. Being forced to stay home and away from friends has made interactions more meaningful to me; I’ve realized everything I take for granted. Besides positive personal change, there have been positive changes around the country. More people have been made aware of many issues thanks to modern technology. There is increased participation in social justice, particularly among young people. It is extremely heartening to see, even months after Black Lives Matter went “viral”, that people have not stopped and have not allowed the movement to become “just a trend”. The amount of people practicing their civil responsibility through voting is also a positive occurrence this year that is so important for the future. All of these developments have given me hope. I have to accept the change that has already happened and know that it won’t always be this way. In the words of Sam Cooke, “A Change is Gonna Come”.