“The ending has not yet been written.” – Atrus, Myst Series

The above quote comes from a game called Myst, and it shares the perfect life lesson we all need. In these uncertain times, with the pandemic never seeming to go away, it’s good to remind ourselves that this is not the end. Because it has not yet come to pass. And with much of the world still going on as normal (whatever “normal” may be), it’s a pleasant truth that life after 2020 is still on the horizon.

When the AIDS epidemic rumbled through the LGBTQ scene, being gay was considered the worst thing on the planet. To many, it was a death sentence. But now, nearly 40 years on and still with no vaccine, people aren’t dying from HIV anymore. They are just living their wonderful lives with a smorgasbord of effective treatments. And this is thanks to the decades of research that has brought us this far.

It’s important to keep this in mind because some experts believe we won’t see a COVID-19 vaccine. 

But, whether we get an effective vaccine or not, life will go on. And soon, we will travel across the skies for distant lands again and pack out concert halls like never before, even if that means taking precautions for the next few months. Or even years. It’s a sad reality, but at least it’s not the end. It’s just a new type of normal.

So don’t despair over the current events. Don’t send your mind on an apocalyptic spiralling rampage when it’s clearly not happening. This is just a momentary blip in the wayward journey of life. And we will get through it. Eventually, this stark reality will become a distant memory.

And remember, no matter how hard things get, the ending has not yet been written.