DENNY WARNER
SAANICH PENINSULA – Well that was a year to forget that will never be forgotten. It seems fitting we experienced a pandemic in 2020 – the year of numbers representing the standard for good vision. It will be some time before we will be able to see all the lessons clearly but there were some doozies.
Screens. The experts were telling us our screen-time was excessive and to limit it significantly. Then the pandemic hits and all of us, including grannie, are learning how to use new applications to spend more time than ever to communicate with people on screens. How could a platform with such a zippy name like Zoom deliver us so many hours of boring meetings?
Science and technology got hacked by keyboard warriors who had a lot of free time on their fingers. Despite this large-scale attempt to counteract facts and to minimize the credibility of experts, those on the front lines of science and technology, focused on their work to develop vaccines and many other solutions to the world’s problems.
Clearly the pandemic has been devastating to many who experienced loved ones getting sick and dying and others whose financial security was breached and who are facing ruin. On the flip side, there is nothing like the prospect of your own or a loved one’s death to reorient you to what’s important.
We were reminded of how critical touch and face-to-face connection are to our human experience. How a dinner out with friends can bring immense joy. Marking occasions in groups like birthdays, anniversaries and weddings will, at least in our time, no longer be taken for granted. How our enjoyment of life is enhanced by watching live musical performances. There is so much more we learned we don’t wish to live without and will cherish when access is again granted.
And in the quiet pause, people rested, created, considered, dreamed, slept, planned, organized, cleaned, cooked, connected, and reflected. It was never time wasted.
Denny Warner is the Executive Director at the Saanich Peninsula Chamber of Commerce.
