The word “coronavirus” stuck around everywhere, and the days I could go to college without concerning about anything except exams, meeting my friends, and discovering new learning has been lost so suddenly.
As the last article of the fall semester of 2020, and as the milestone of my 21st birthday, I would like to leave something here; a “Senior Editor’s Letter”—named after “Editor’s Letter” from VOGUE’s editor-in-chief—especially to those who have fought against invisible enemies for about half a year like me.Â
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The phrase ‘Man is by nature a social animal’ by the legendary Greek philosopher, is interpreted as “human beings cannot live alone, and they exist in relation to others” (Britannica online). With limited social activity, many people are forced to live a life where they cannot meet their family, friends, and lovers as they used to. We would reconsider how much they mean to us with their gratitude, and at the same time, we would feel more lonely than we have ever experienced before.
Because we live in a networked society, we sometimes get overwhelmed by aesthetic posts and perfect/productive social media days. We feel that “I didn’t do anything today” or “I wasted a day” compared to others. It’s becoming harder even to realize that your loved ones are being cornered. The gap between the everyday life of the past, which was so dear and precious but “ordinary,” and the lonely and boring still hectic reality of the present, cannot be easily filled.
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Like the phrase ‘necessity is the mother of invention,’ we at HCICU have thought about what ICU students need now, and what we can do as ICU students. We’ve published information on various things to try and regain our precious time and things, often labeled as “non-essential”.
HCICU, is a microcosm of ICU; it has different nationalities, backgrounds, native languages, and majors. Articles on HCICU vary: favorite cosmetics, books, movies, music and more. Good things about the countries we’ve lived in and traveled to. Our identity and roots that shape our sense of “self.” Social problems and our worries. It’s a place for each of the 45 HCICU members’ to express their individuality so that readers can get the information they want, sympathize with a writer who has the same problems as them, and to sometimes be encouraged. I would be happy if HCICU is a place where you can find various articles that meet your “desire to know.”
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The brightness itself gave birth to sadness… a single tree slipped into shadow (Mae Toshio, translated by John Lamb & Naoko Lamb)
In short, I would translate this poem to “don’t be blinded by the darkness.” Of course, this is my interpretation, and the interesting part of literature is that people receive and feel differently, because of the power of words.
In today’s world, the power of words has become strong enough to kill people. My wish is that as many people as possible could seek answers to their curiosity without changing their beliefs based on a stereotypical idea of “what people think” and without being swept away by the foolish word “ordinary.” And as the senior editor of HCICU, I hope that HCICU will continue to be a place of expression for those people.