This is Your Sign That Everything’s Going to be OK

Jazmin Arellano

It’s been nearly a year since we switched to virtual classes due to the Coronavirus pandemic. And although the world has gone through a lot in that year, I feel that quarantine has granted people everywhere the ability to self-reflect while in isolation. Mostly, people have turned to artistic outlets to escape our current restrictions. I’m certainly no exception; I’ve started drawing and painting, rollerskating, and reading books again. Even when I feel like there’s no end in sight, no hope for my future, there I am-drawing characters from the anime Jujutsu Kaisen while Jeanette’s El Muchacho de Los Ojos Tristes is on blast.

Our escapisms have granted us Zoom calls with loved ones and classmates, Tik Tok videos of dancing, singing, artistic users, and Soul, the Disney movie that made us question if we’re truly living, or surviving. If we’re really managing, or just coping. Most importantly, the internet has given us memes, and those memes have given us laughs. For many, this may not seem like much. However, to those of us who have lost someone to the virus, or countless someones, it means the world.

It may feel uncomfortable to take a moment -or a year- to sit inside and continue with daily life as if all is well. We all know very well that it’s not. After all, we need our degrees to get jobs, and jobs to support our lifestyles, and then money to sustain said lifestyles. All of these things we have to keep in mind, in addition to the pandemic. However, despite these things, it’s not selfish to nurture your creativity when all other aspects of life are in chaos.

It’s indeed crucial to realize that we’re in the midst of history and not the people who happen to come after it. And yet, despite these circumstances, it’s a great thing to embrace your talents and express yourself. This is what humans do: We live, we learn, and then we express what we’ve learned and lived through.

If in doubt, as the internet says, this is your sign that it’s going to be ok. Keep being.