I sat here this morning and I thought i would write something completely different. Because we are all a bit down right now, and for many prospects look equally bleak for the near future at least. So i decided perhaps it was time to examine some of the reasons that the future may be better. Here are my reasons to be hopeful for the future.
Reasons To Be Hopeful For Future – Vaccinations
As we all know, the UK is distributing vaccines to the UK population at an astonishing rate. And with every vaccine that a person receives, the threat of Covid spread, of hospitalisations and of deaths from the virus reduces. And with that, we move ourselves closer to an end to lockdowns and an eventual return to normality. Latest results prove that the vaccine is producing the desired effect. Studies have linked the UK’s rollout of COVID-19 vaccines to a “substantial reduction” in the risk of hospital admissions
Results
Researchers examined coronavirus hospital admissions in Scotland among people who have had their first jab and compared them with those who had not yet received a dose of the vaccine. By the fourth week after receiving an initial dose, the Pfizer and Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccines were shown to reduce the risk of hospitalisation from coronavirus in Scotland by up to 85% and 94%, respectively.
Making Up For Lost Time
If you want to feel hopeful, then dream. Think about what you can do when it is safe to do so. A year of restrictions should give many of us the chance to make up for lost time when restrictions are lifted. And we always have the option of making up for lost time. But think also of how good things we used to take for granted will feel. The first pint in a pub, hitting the beach in a foreign country, going to that first music gig. I can’t wait!
Reasons To Be Hopeful For Future – Financial Freedom?
This will not apply to all of us. Many have suffered terribly during this pandemic. But for those that have maintained their income over the past year, opportunities will present themselves in the coming years. A restricted or non-existent social life will have seen many of us save a fortune. And when we can, that allows us more options than we had before to enjoy life. I think we have all earned it after all.
Reasons To Be Hopeful For Future – A Different Society
Perhaps this is unfounded optimism on my behalf, but i have seen so many examples of human kindness over the past year. And i choose to ignore the opposite cases, as they have always been there. I hope in future what has happened over the past year or so redefines many of us and how we live our lives. How we connect with friends and family, and keep in touch.
Local Businesses
And this links into how i have altered my spending habits and actions since March 2020. I buy eggs from a local farm, i buy from a local greengrocer and every week support local restaurants and takeaways (due to laziness to be honest). But it has hopefully altered my priorities and made me see through their struggles how vital it is to support local and any small businesses. We need to revert to the past how we buy our essentials and stop supporting huge corporations. Corporations who give huge dividends to their board, and make massive profits whilst furloughing staff.
Future Pandemic Protection
Much of the planet was ill-prepared for the spread of this virus. However, if governments learn one thing, it must surely be to be prepared should this happen again in the future, which sadly is almost inevitable. Prepared to stop the spread, understand the benefits of lockdowns, when to implement them and to support those that have their livelihoods removed. I am hopeful lessons will, on the whole, be learned, through the mistakes made in 2020.
