A Time of COVID, A Time of Protest,....A Great Time to be Alive?!

       So, how are you doing about three months after COVID 'came a-calling' and in the midst of a 'pandemic of polarity' in our country? Better off, I hope, after reading and reflecting on the following...

       Growing up listening to radio (often in the form of over-hearing it as my father was getting ready for work and I was trying to sleep in the adjacent room), I would hear the unmistakable voice of Paul Harvey, shortly after reviewing some difficult news of the day, remind us why "It's a great time to be alive", by also reviewing some modern medical miracles and/or acts of humanity. This conviction was in part born in the crucible of a family who lost their police officer father who, while attempting to break up a robbery, was shot and killed when Paul was only three years old. 

       Shortly after surviving the concentration camps and realizing he lost almost everyone near and dear to him (including his parents, wife, and unborn child), Victor Frankl delivered his talk "Say Yes to Life, Despite Everything", the core idea of which was the search for meaning in life despite what we experienced, not because of what we may have endured. Clearly, neither of these individuals were in denial of the grief and horror that were possible due to the proclivities of nature or at the hands of another. But both somehow arrived at a mindset through which to view these 'vicissitudes' and carry forward with a degree of optimism. 

       In "Unbroken" Laura Hillenbrand, in documenting the excruciating  experience of three men sharing two life rafts in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, provoked the reader to reflect on what accounted for the respective approaches to survival, whether it was their wiring, their faith, and/or earlier experiences (a noteworthy backstory in the writing of "Unbroken" was the author's own personal concurrent journey as she battled a debilitating physical condition while researching, interviewing, and writing the story of  Louis Zamperini). Regardless of the sequence with which one absorbs the foregoing accounts, common prominent themes include those of perseverance, resilience, and search for meaning (or 'mindset'). 

       And just two days ago, the NBA All Star Stephen Curry, as part of "The Dream Marches On", implores the younger generation, despite their awareness of history and seemingly bad odds, they can and need to be instrumental in constructing (versus destructing) a better community that, once again,..."It's a great time to be alive!".

       The time, place, and circumstances in which we live are often not of our choice. The rest is up to you and me. Happy Father's Day!