Dear reader from the future,
I am writing from 2023, and it feels like things have finally settled in. From the fears and uncertainties we had in the early 2020s when COVID-19 ravaged the world, we have now embraced a mashup of our old and new routines.
At least here in the Philippines, you find it normal to see people walking wearing face masks, although it is no longer compulsory.
One night, I rewatched the Maze Runner film series, wondering if I could find nuances now that I’ve been through a pandemic I might have missed. And true enough, I did. Watching it again hit me differently because I can directly relate when the movie emphasized how researchers were desperate for a cure, running tests, and searching for answers. Because in 2020, a group of scientists at Oxford University did the same thing (you can read the full story here).
And in a world ravaged by disease and plagued by death, rumors could spread twisted stories that make you doubt who to trust anymore. While each person faced different battles, everyone was desperate to survive the pandemic.
From the Maze Runner film series, I also noticed how selfish people could destroy an already broken world completely when given power and authority. And how revenge only satiates wrath and destruction.
Fortunately, I live in a world where there are still people with good intentions (like in this story), and living in 2023 is somewhat similar to the years before, yet a way different because more people have accepted new ways of doing things such as hybrid work arrangements.
Your letter writer from the past,
Jessa
jessa 