The image of Andrea Bocelli on Easter Sunday singing in the empty, magnificent Duomo in Milan captures my experience of the coronavirus pandemic. Despite the Judeo-Christian myth of man’s dominance over nature, when face-to-face with a virus causing thousands of deaths within weeks across countries, I experience how small and fragile we are, like Bocelli in the immense cathedral.
I am one of the fortunate ones. I can carry on my work remotely from home. After initial cancellations and adjustments, the disruption to my life, compared with others, has been minimal. I have had the opportunity to reflect and the privilege of realigning priorities.
The image of Bocelli, one lone voice, singing in the empty cathedral has solidified in me the desire to be about what really matters, a call I believe we all have to answer to that which lies deepest within. I have a renewed resolve to focus my attention and energy on that “for which I was born.” This focus helps me laugh more and fear death less.
Penelope Yungblut