I heard that saying as a child -- hind sight is 2020. It was a reminder that our vision is so much clearer after the event has taken place and we can see the results.
Unfortunately, when we’re in the middle of a decision, big or small, we don’t have the luxury of hind sight. At least, not in a way that would make the decision obvious. We do, however, have the benefit of the past. Right now, in this first weeks of 2021, after being ravaged by 2020, a year that brought a health crisis that led to an economic crisis that led to a social crisis that is now leading us into 2021, we can look back. Not that it’s over – it’s not and we all know it – but we can apply some wisdom from the past nine months that might help. What if, in hind sight, we find the good in 2020? For those who lost loved ones, finding the good is a harsh expectation, and some will emerge with scars that remain as reminders of what was lost. But what if, for those who can, we look back (hind sight) and find something good? Some small nugget of wisdom that we could carry with us into the future? What if we looked at the past with clear vision (2020) and moved toward the future with what we learned (hind sight)? So what did we learn? (1) There are people who will risk their lives to make sure we get the care we need. Doctors, nurses, technicians, pharmacists, so many in the medical field. Yes, it’s their job, but when hundreds of patients are dying each week from a highly contagious virus, their work becomes more than a job. It’s equivalent to a war zone, endless shifts treating patient after patient who have fallen to an enemy we can’t see and with little information on how to heal, prevent, and protect. But the medical staff kept trying. They didn't give up. (2) There are people who stayed on the job so we could buy Kit Kats, Philly Cheese Steaks, toilet paper, plush Baby Yoda, and that bottle of Jack Daniels. Yes, they needed the paycheck for rent and food for their kids, but they were there when we ran out of toothpaste and milk. And they found ways to make shopping safer for all of us. (3) Teachers. We finally saw what our lives would be like without teachers and classrooms. We discovered just how economically valuable our teachers and schools really are. Online learning? How do you move those play stations to digital work stations where children can interact and build their social skills? Well, you can’t. Teachers stepped up, but let’s face it, they do so much more than just deliver content. (4) In a national emergency, we need leaders with the intellectual ability to grasp the science behind a problem, the wisdom to listen to experts, and the skill to put together teams that can respond swiftly. It wasn't possible to eradicate the virus quickly, and cases increased over time and space, but some states are better off because of leadership that enforced guidelines to keep people as safe as possible. Leaders who have the intellect, wisdom, and skill to act in ways that will protect people during a national emergency are the kind of leaders we need in government. That’s hind sight. I could go on, but that would take a deeper dive into our nation’s history. This will do for now. We can’t undo the past, but we can learn from it. And “hind sight is 2020” means so much more as we enter 2021.
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