Image description: The image is a colorful drawing depicting elements related to health and disease prevention. From left to right, we see a person sitting and holding a tablet, with a medical mask floating beside them. In the center, there is a thermometer and a plus sign, along with a smiling heart with raindrops falling on it. A blue cloud sits above the heart, and a sad face emoji is behind it. On the right, there is a bottle of hand sanitizer gel with a cross symbol and a water droplet. Above the bottle, there is a virus icon. The person on the right is wearing a horizontally striped shirt and appears to be looking at the viruses.Listen to an excerpt from the letter, narrated by its author, Carolina.
Rio de Janeiro, October 2, 2021.
Dear young people,
When we are children, we fantasize about the future with all the expectations in the world. We are influenced to understand life as a long and infinite journey that is always available to our dreams. We don't think about the challenges that often lead us to give up on the things we want most, regardless of our great ambitions. Everything is perfect during childhood, or at least it seems to be. However, one day, we realize the real rhythm of life. The future, which at certain moments seemed so distant, is now closer than ever. We are struck by an urgent need to seize every opportunity the world has to offer, since we now understand time as a resource we can no longer waste. When we are young, we know that control over our complex lives doesn't depend solely on us, but we are never fully prepared to deal with that fact.
That is why I dedicate my words to you, youth. I confess it was very difficult to feel parts of you slipping away during 2020. I knew that this didn't depend on me alone, but it bothered me that there was nothing I could do to make the world go back to normal. Everything seemed pointless, and the life plan I had envisioned was, little by little, torn down by a strong sense of demotivation. It was hard, at various moments, to find the strength to believe that one day we would all finally have the chance to make up for lost experiences. But a single positive thought was enough to keep a small hope alive in my heart, in anticipation of a better future.
I like to say I recently learned your true meaning, youth. From the very first moment of the pandemic, I knew that the memories you gave me would be my most precious possessions during the hard days. I also learned the true meaning of saudade. I don't mean only that longing for people far away, but also for the simple things in life, like the routine I used to follow or the places I used to go. I started to value friendships, even though I said goodbye to many, and to look at the world in a different way, recognizing the true importance of empathy.
There were many lessons learned, indeed. Maybe I didn't live the way I planned in my childhood, and maybe it's hard to shake off the feeling of lost time that exists within me. But now, I look back and recognize the value of all the lessons that made me the best version of myself, the version that deserves to be your companion, youth. We will still live many moments together.
With love,
Carolina.
