How to Stay Motivated through what we have learned in History

We have been living in alternate reality for the last few months. The old normal, intermediate normal, new normal… It’s all been a crazy ride. First it started with a challenging virus hitting parts of the world and the rest of the world thought it was safe… and then it became a global pandemic. For the first time in our lives, simple things we took for granted were taken away. We could not meet up with our friends, everything was shutdown, even grocery visits were limited. We swayed from cooking crazes, eating binges , exercising with fury, picking new skills, enjoying family time, racing through Netflix and waiting for the lockdown to lift. We thought it was the most challenging time of our lives….

And then 2020 had something new to throw at us. A bigger challenge than most of us have ever faced… A reality check that we live in a world where a human life can just be taken away… like it wasn’t human. While we always knew of innocent deaths in the past and protests have always been around...there was nothing as startling and unsettling as the video of a life being taken away. It served as a wake-up call for many.

And then we saw protests nationwide and what was even harder to deal with was … peaceful protests being disrupted. The pandemic suddenly seemed much easier to deal with, then watching peaceful protestors being attacked.

And yet, we have prevailed through more difficult times in our history. History was my least favorite subject. As a kid I would wonder why we had to learn and memorize about all these facts from the past, when we could be spend that time learning Science. The next great invention could come from that and benefit the whole world. What good can History really bring, I would ponder. 

And yet today, History is probably our best healer! It can and should inspire us to thrive and prevail. We must remember the struggles that mankind has had and how we have overcome all that.  Leaders like Dr. King remind us to “Dream” … Writers, dreamers, poets like Maya Angelou remind us to “Rise”. History has countless voices that have inspired generations to speak up, to march, to lead. India was under the colonial British for nearly 200 years before Britain resigned to the non-violent protests of Mahatma Gandhi. Nelson Mandela had been in prison for 27 years before apartheid left South Africa… The great leaders of the past worked tirelessly to create the freedom we have today! We did progress and we did create real change. And while things may look bleak, there is still hope.

And we can still thanks Science for the internet and social media. People are sharing information at a rapid pace, inspiring each other to stand up and speak up. People are ignoring even social distancing guidelines and filling the streets. Liberty , Justice and the Right to live without fear.. That’s the simple ask…And while it may stress you day in and day out to see America in crisis … go down your memory lane and think of your favorite leader from your History book.. to heal you, to inspire you and motivate you to look forward to a brighter future!

And if it helps, just type away too. To stay positive! Remember the pen that was mightier than the sword …. The keyboard is the mighty pen of today! #blacklivesmatter #keepwriting #justice #peace