by Maxwell Robinette, Staff Writer

Around the world, people center holidays around tragedies. Good Friday reflects on the crucifixion of Christ. For many Muslims, Ashura commemorates the bloody battle of Karbala. Passover is a remembrance of the Hebrews bondage in Egypt and the suffering of the 10 plagues.

It is strange to think about – remembering tragedy. But it is a very human thing to do. Why would we want to remember our hardships? Because these hardships, like our triumphs, define us in deep ways, ways we will never fully understand.

This past year we have lost family, loved ones, friends, and personal heroes. The year has shaken our identities to their cores, and it has tested our strength to its extreme limits. It has been a long year with more heartbreak than many of us know what to do with.

It has been a tough year, but things are starting to look up. Vaccines are rolling out, cases are largely on the decline, and La Roche is planning to fully return to in-person classes this fall. While no one knows when things will be completely normal again, things feel more hopeful than they have in some time.

But while we are turning a corner on the pandemic, it is important to remember who we have lost, and how the past year has affected us.

We have become quick moving people. It is a constant progression toward the next thing, on and on, faster and faster, full bore into the future. It is more difficult to find the time to reflect or consider all the things that have passed.

I am not saying we should create a holiday in remembrance of Covid-19, of our struggles, or of the lives it has taken, but it is important that we reflect, and not forget the things we have lost.

It is frightening to let tragedy shape us. Our relentless drive forward often causes us to see hardship and adversity as something we fight through and overcome. Obviously, it is important to keep on going and not dwell in our struggles. But some struggles are too big to fight. Like a storm or a flood, they come through and change the landscape forever. The best we can do is learn to live in the aftermath.

So, let us enjoy this summer. Let us learn how to live in collective recovery. And let us not forget this past year, who we were, or who we have become.