Hard year helped us lock down our values
WE ENDED 2020 in a way which, although anticipated – because we knew the virus would mutate and come back in force – was still a surprise.
We felt frustrated by the restrictions imposed as a result of the new strain of Covid which confined us all to our homes, separated from loved ones and unable to get together as we had hoped or planned.
It felt as though we had got through the year only to find ourselves back to square one. We wanted control of our lives again but, as with most major naturally occurring events, the effects are a not easily controlled, and it is easy to lose hope and patience.
B But if we look at what has been a achieved, we should be celebrating t the dawning of 2021. We managed to get through 2020 – and created not one but two vaccines, with more coming to the market.
New Year’s Eve for me is always a time for reflection and this year I th thought about the lessons learnt. At the beginning of the first lockdown Leon Leonie Elliott, who plays the lovely Nurse Anderson in Call the Midwife, tweeted: “it’s as though God has said: ‘ go to your room and think about what you have done’.” We’ve been given time to think about what is important and just to look at the world around us.
Social media as a form of communication and source of information became much more important to me. I think huge lessons have been learnt and many positives can be drawn from our time in lockdown.
The major lesson for me, brought to our attention by social media, was the shocking murder of George Floyd. Footage of his arrest, which went viral, showed a white police officer kneeling on Mr Floyd’s neck.
The discussions that followed, the reemergence of Black Lives Matter, the positive suggestions for change, all felt as though we really might be tackling a problem that we have not resolved before. I think that the focus was possible because across the world we were not just moving onwards with our ordinary lives.
Greater attention has also been given to other important global issues: poverty, the plight of refugees, threats to the environment. On a small scale I remember vividly the quiet of London without planes flying over and little traffic. We were told what a difference there was to pollution levels. We have appreciated the gifts of nature as never before, listened to birdsong through windows of flats, or, if lucky enough, in one’s garden.
While we’re still in our rooms “thinking about what we have done”, it might be useful to look at what we can do. Through the pandemic, people have volunteered to help those badly affected by Covid. This indomitable British spirit is something to be celebrated. But the future is still uncertain so we need to continue to help out.
There are some terrific initiatives throughout the country. St Giles Trust, a charity of which I am patron, has some incredible programmes helping the most disadvantaged. If you want to get involved visit the website ( stgilestrust. org. uk). Despite everything, we’ve got so much to look forward to in 2020. We have a goal to work towards: to beat this virus and get back to normality – and we will. Spring’s coming and that’s worth celebrating.