Here's to the class of 2020
Here’s to the class of 2020 and all the moments that couldn’t be ours. Here’s to us, the chosen class.
Not every graduating class walks hand-in-hand with a global pandemic, economic recession; basically, the world order crumbling. When it does, though, it becomes the chosen class — chosen by a deadly virus. We would be the ones defining a new era for the world. A couple of thousand years ago, the birth of Jesus created a division between CE and BCE, and 2020 years later, our graduating class around the world would be distinguishing between the pre and the post COVID era. This is something worth being proud of while juggling the pressures that come with it of course. With a great pandemic comes great responsibility.
We have to shoulder the responsibility of the broken system that has been rightfully exposed by the COVID crisis. More than ever, this is the time to realize that we live in a highly inegalitarian world that is far from perfection. There is inequality and discrimination — on economic, political, social, cultural, religious, and gendered levels. We, the class of 2020, have had the privilege to observe these issues with more scrutiny and time in our hands and come out of this pandemic with more difficult choices to make; even if people chose not to make this choice, we have suddenly aged as we graduate and come out to a dilapidating world. As much as we have the choice and responsibility to better this world, we should also give ourselves a pat on the back for making it through college and for accepting the despondence that comes with not having our special ‘lasts’.
A few days ago, I came across Barack Obama’s message to the class of 2020, where he did talk about what we as a class owe to the world right now in these testing times. However, he also mentioned that we should allow ourselves at this moment to go through the pain of not having the small joys that we would otherwise have had, such as formal graduation or convocation. We are missing out on one of the most important events in our life. A graduation ceremony or convocation is not simply a day we are handed out our degrees. It is much more. The day signifies struggle, joy, lifelong friendships and memories, breakdowns, attachment, loss, etc. It is honestly a feat to have graduated with so much pulling us down at all times. For some it may have to endure deteriorating mental health as they move ahead with college, for others college would be the only way they survive in a world where life is deemed as a race. Everyone has a different story and a different journey they undertook, only to see themselves come to the finish point wearing that black gown and hats. It is an important moment, one that should not be discredited so easily.
A graduation day is a day that acts as a barrier between the bubble world and the real world. Some people, like me, would probably have been thinking about this day for months on end. Even when the finish line is so close, you know you get one more day to relive the past three (in my case) years again, even if it is only for a few hours. There are laughs to be shared, tears to be wiped, smiles to be cracked and goodbyes often left unsaid. There is the promise to be in touch, to be the class of 2020 despite the pressures of the world to be your individual selves. Everyone knows such promises hold little value in the upcoming future, but at that moment it is the greatest parting gift you could give and receive.
It is not fair that this day has been taken away from us. It is not fair we could not have our share of lasts. In my college we get a whole week dedicated to the seniors, so that we are able to pack memories in our minds safely, to take them with us on our next phase of life. One last walk around the campus, one last time getting drunk with our crazy friends, one last time to have Nescafe’s bittersweet almost perfectly weird coffee, one last dhabha meal, one last time to have broken college rules, one last time take those goofy pictures with friends; the list of lasts is in all probability never-ending. For anyone who has watched the show Money Heist on Netflix will probably remember Berlin and maybe this dialogue of his as well - “First time are so special; unique. But the last times are beyond comparison. They are priceless. But people don’t normally know it’s their last time”. That’s what it was for us. We had our share of lasts without realizing we would be in quarantine, reminiscing on what could have been.
Not every graduating class walks hand-in-hand with a global pandemic, economic recession; basically, the world order crumbling. When it does, though, it becomes the chosen class — chosen by a deadly virus. We would be the ones defining a new era for the world. A couple of thousand years ago, the birth of Jesus created a division between CE and BCE, and 2020 years later, our graduating class around the world would be distinguishing between the pre and the post COVID era. This is something worth being proud of while juggling the pressures that come with it of course. With a great pandemic comes great responsibility.
We have to shoulder the responsibility of the broken system that has been rightfully exposed by the COVID crisis. More than ever, this is the time to realize that we live in a highly inegalitarian world that is far from perfection. There is inequality and discrimination — on economic, political, social, cultural, religious, and gendered levels. We, the class of 2020, have had the privilege to observe these issues with more scrutiny and time in our hands and come out of this pandemic with more difficult choices to make; even if people chose not to make this choice, we have suddenly aged as we graduate and come out to a dilapidating world. As much as we have the choice and responsibility to better this world, we should also give ourselves a pat on the back for making it through college and for accepting the despondence that comes with not having our special ‘lasts’.
A few days ago, I came across Barack Obama’s message to the class of 2020, where he did talk about what we as a class owe to the world right now in these testing times. However, he also mentioned that we should allow ourselves at this moment to go through the pain of not having the small joys that we would otherwise have had, such as formal graduation or convocation. We are missing out on one of the most important events in our life. A graduation ceremony or convocation is not simply a day we are handed out our degrees. It is much more. The day signifies struggle, joy, lifelong friendships and memories, breakdowns, attachment, loss, etc. It is honestly a feat to have graduated with so much pulling us down at all times. For some it may have to endure deteriorating mental health as they move ahead with college, for others college would be the only way they survive in a world where life is deemed as a race. Everyone has a different story and a different journey they undertook, only to see themselves come to the finish point wearing that black gown and hats. It is an important moment, one that should not be discredited so easily.
A graduation day is a day that acts as a barrier between the bubble world and the real world. Some people, like me, would probably have been thinking about this day for months on end. Even when the finish line is so close, you know you get one more day to relive the past three (in my case) years again, even if it is only for a few hours. There are laughs to be shared, tears to be wiped, smiles to be cracked and goodbyes often left unsaid. There is the promise to be in touch, to be the class of 2020 despite the pressures of the world to be your individual selves. Everyone knows such promises hold little value in the upcoming future, but at that moment it is the greatest parting gift you could give and receive.
It is not fair that this day has been taken away from us. It is not fair we could not have our share of lasts. In my college we get a whole week dedicated to the seniors, so that we are able to pack memories in our minds safely, to take them with us on our next phase of life. One last walk around the campus, one last time getting drunk with our crazy friends, one last time to have Nescafe’s bittersweet almost perfectly weird coffee, one last dhabha meal, one last time to have broken college rules, one last time take those goofy pictures with friends; the list of lasts is in all probability never-ending. For anyone who has watched the show Money Heist on Netflix will probably remember Berlin and maybe this dialogue of his as well - “First time are so special; unique. But the last times are beyond comparison. They are priceless. But people don’t normally know it’s their last time”. That’s what it was for us. We had our share of lasts without realizing we would be in quarantine, reminiscing on what could have been.
I am sure all graduates of 2020 from all programs would be thinking on these lines. So beautifully written. Proud of you.
ReplyDeleteExcellent thoughts and even better words to communicate such a challenging time of everyone life, cheers to the class of 2020... I can relate to this also as was of a class at Ahmedabad in 2001 when the Latur earthquake devasted life ...but then the mantra is..this too will pass...so create good memories ..anen
ReplyDeleteAllez!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful. Absolutely fantastic. All the best to the class of 2020. You will change the world to make it more fair, more humane.
ReplyDelete