Vaccines are rolling out. The CDC has told us we can now gather with others who are vaccinated. A new "normal" is on the horizon, but who will we take with us in this new world? This has been a year of heartache, growth, and revelations. All around us we saw people's true colors shine brighter than ever before. It seemed as though there were two schools of thought; those who took their social responsibility seriously, and those who ignored guide lines. We saw one group who understood that their sacrifices were to make it safer for everyone; the other group, acting like petulant children who refused to be inconvenienced. Those that listened to guidance from health officials and scientists versus those who claimed that keeping others safe took away their rights.
How do we move on from this? How do we look friends/family members in the face after they have said that we are over reacting, those who were condescending, those who put our entire community at risk.
A phrase that is said often when polarizing events happen is that "everyone is entitled to their own opinion", but when someone's opinion puts lives at risk, is that forgivable? This is a very personal question, one that I can not answer for you, but for me I will be keeping my space from those who spent the year gaslighting others. Maybe some things are just too polarizing to overcome, maybe we remain worlds apart.