November 17, 2021: Series 02
"Community allows people to thrive and grow and find one's true self; to be removed from all that can be very detrimental."
What has changed in your life during this pandemic?
My life during the pandemic has changed so drastically, it's hilarious. Because of the pandemic, everyone has had much more time on their hands than ever before, and people would be lying if they claimed they've never done a personal reflection. This pandemic has caused me to have multiple reflections and allowed me to analyze how I act, and how I portray myself to the rest of the world. Am I too guarded? Am I too critical? Am I too loud? All of these questions have crossed my mind plus many more, and I've come to the conclusion that before I used to be super honest, but in a much more rude way and would be very inconsiderate of other people's feelings, and now I find myself being honest, but not too rude or criticizing and I think that's super beneficial.
How do you think COVID has changed the world as a whole?
The world overall has become much more aware. After everything that has gone down during the pandemic, the world has really come to the realization of what is truly right and what is truly wrong. We have gone through two major racial reckonings, the Black Lives Matter Movement and the Stop Asian Hate Movement. America, and the rest of the world truthfully, was forced to recognize how it truly treats people of color and what they need to do to dismantle the racist institutions they've become too fond of. And although there are still many people, whether it be people from school, community, city, or national, who don't care enough to come to terms that racism has plagued this world, and instead wish to uphold those racist ideals, there were still enough people who finally realized that enough is enough. Because of these realization and epiphanies, our society is now taking strides to secure a better future for not only Black and Asian people, but for Latino, Indigenous, and all marginalized races that have had to feel the pain of racism.
How have you been taking care of your mental and overall health?
No. Plain and simple no. Although I've had much more time on my hands. I've been filling that time with busy work. For example, during the pandemic, I got a job because I couldn't stand just being home all day and seeing the same people. My motto in life is to just go go go. For me having something to do and keeping busy is the best thing someone could do for themselves. I mean obviously, I'll take time to sit down and watch TV and just be lazy, but I just refuse to go through a day without completing something that will benefit me. What I've been working on so much lately is just my activism and changing society for the better and my designing and creating. If I'm not doing one of those things, I'm always doing the other, no matter what. I think the problem is that there is so much that I believe needs to be accomplished before I enter into the next chapter of my life, which would be college and adulthood.
How do you think that this pandemic will affect your future?
I believe the pandemic will affect my future in a plethora of ways. I mean just talking academically, I won't be taking the SATs and ACTs because most colleges not requiring them, and that has already lifted a weight off my shoulders. When it comes to life in general, I just know that many things that we considered "normal" will become strange and taboo and vice versa. For example, a simple handshake is likely going to be strange and most people will just avoid it together. When it comes to masks, I think we'll be seeing them even after the pandemic is over just because of how much they've been imprinted in our society this year alone. When this is all and over, life will never go back to "normal". We've passed "normal" and now we're heading into a new era, a new Renaissance if you will, where culture and life will be different for everyone.
Why do you think it's important to have human interactions with each other?
Human interaction is vital to a human's pure existence. In my opinion, it is not natural to not belong to a community, whether it be something as huge as the Black Community or the LGBTQ+ community or just a small group of friends. Yes, it is important to take time for yourself and focus on yourself, but I think it is against human nature to be completely removed from people and society. Community allows people to thrive and grow and find one's true self; to be removed from all that can be very detrimental. All in all, human interaction and connection is vital to a person and society as a whole.
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