Summary: This article highlights the false rivalry that emerged between young and old during the pandemic, emphasizing the importance of recognizing the similarities and alliance between generations instead. The author shares personal experiences and memories with their grandmothers, emphasizing the bridging of gaps and the interdependence between young and old. The article calls for society to mend the cultural fallacy of distance and promote unity.

Takeaways:

🤝 Recognize the similarities and alliance between young and old generations.

🌍 Remember the interdependence revealed by the pandemic and the importance of unity.

💔 Beware of cultural narratives that drive a wedge between generations.

🍿 Cultivate bridges and connections with older generations, just like sharing popcorn.

💞 Make pledges and show love in secret, as they hold stronger significance.

Memories of the Pandemic

Walking Through Empty Streets

One of my favorite memories of the pandemic was walking through empty streets with my maternal grandmother. She did not wish to remain at home, nor did I. During those walks, the criminal was not my recklessness, and the victim was not her fragility. We were, then, accomplices.

Emerging Rivalry Between Generations

I believe the worst outcome of pandemic policymaking and of the way the media and social gossip framed it is the falsely emerging rivalry between young and old. If we defined social distancing and went out, we were perceived as insensitive to our grandparents back home. What the megaphones of culture mistook for an irreconcilable difference between generations was a similarity split and squashed, an alliance between two ends of the age spectrum that perhaps the people in the middle unwittingly sabotaged.

Breaking the Vase

No one bothered surveying the topic – let our statisticians run wild! Let them ask the old: they will be met with the same indulging attitude that we know grandmothers shower on children. It does not matter who broke the vase. As long as there is someone here to break it.

A Year Like No Other

My paternal grandmother once surprised me with a statement: “I’ve never seen a year like 2020!” – and she had lived through 15 years of civil war back in Beirut, Lebanon. I could only wonder: How could not one of these 15 years rival 2020? I did not need to inquire further: because the old and the young think alike, because our happiness is woven with the same thread.

Mending the Thread

Let our politicians and media executives mend that thread! Beware of the culture that drives a wedge between the young and the old, a relationship that requires a delicate gap, a conscientious messenger. Sometimes, before the pandemic when cinemas were still open, I remember sharing popcorn with my grandmother. I will never forget the singular effect that box of popcorn alone could produce: a bridge between past and future, a helping hand to whatever remained incommunicable between us. Though I sensed the depth of the gap between us, I understood how it can be filled. As easily as popcorn!

Revealing Interdependence

COVID-19 stamped a cultural fallacy: distance between young and old. We forgot the pandemic dealt with a virus that revealed our interdependence. How inconsiderate, the public service announcement that declared: “Do it for Grandma!” Must we be reminded what we owe our grandmothers?

A Secret Pledge

A pledge is far stronger when made in secret – and so is love.