FROM ARGENTINA
By Carlos Madama - Argentina
The lessons of Covid-19
Life always awaits us with surprises. Every morning when we open our eyes, we find ourselves in a new world full of unknowns. Not long ago, that first ray of sunlight that filtered through the window woke us up to news that would shake the world. “A new virus discovered in China threatens to spread worldwide and become a pandemic,” read the headlines in newspapers and on television screens. Uncertainty began to take hold of our thoughts, the horror of wondering if it was really true, and the half-hearted confidence of thinking, “I don't think it will even reach my country.”
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It would be pointless to list all the disaster that this malignant virus wreaked. Death, destruction, 100% calamity, hopes devastated by the relentless advance of what seemed impossible to stop.
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Millions of cases of selfishness on the part of "the owners of the vaccines" in each of the governments who privileged their families, friends, and their political followers, neglecting the truly deserving, such as the elderly, the sick, and so many other needy souls. Also, the omnipotent right that prohibited the bereaved from saying goodbye to the dead, who sprang up like bubbles in puddles.
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Until one day peace came.
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Out with the alcohol, out with the masks, out with staying indoors, locked away like prisoners of evil. But what lessons have we learned from the cruel passage of such a terrible pandemic in our lives?
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Some say that once they were able to free themselves from the bonds of evil, they began to apply some of the lessons they had gathered during those times of confinement from reading, TV shows, and movies. And many agree that the best thing has been Amplexorexia, which is nothing more than the deep and irresistible desire to envelop someone in a hug.
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Experts on the subject of affection agree that hugs truly liberate pent-up emotions and, at the same time, are the most authentic and simple way to express what is kept inside each person, something that surpasses words and even love itself.
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Who hasn't burst with emotion upon reuniting with a friend or family member and giving them a passionate hug? Who hasn't wept inconsolably while clutching the aching body of someone they love so dearly?
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Now, the question arises. Is it necessary for another pandemic to come along before we have to tear our muscles up in a hug? Life gives us an opportunity every day to show others how we feel. Let's not waste it and hug, say "I love you," visit friends, neighbors, and anyone we accidentally cross paths with. Let's enjoy this immeasurable pleasure without blushing...
