KATHERINE BURT-ROBINSON

In many ways, the first half of this year felt almost normal as we all become more and more accustomed to the new, post-Covid way of life.

Before the third wave struck, things seemed to be slowly shifting back into place – with the grades no longer platooning, the corridors were once again filled to the brim with learners hauling their overflowing bags about, and the return of extra-murals meant that the school no longer turned into a ghost town after 14:00. Alas, it was not to last. The third wave has rocked our country, and the rising number of Covid cases and deaths serves as a constant reminder of how frightening this virus is.

The Coronavirus isn’t the only scary or dangerous thing going on at the moment. Watching the news, it seems as though the world is at war with itself. All the issues that sat at the forefront of our minds before the pandemic became our sole concern – global warming, famine, conflict – seem to have reached their boiling points while we were occupied putting our masks on and sanitising our hands.

In the midst of all this suffering, it is becoming increasingly difficult to look to the future with optimism, and yet, there are moments when we can’t help but do so. Two of the St Michael’s staff members, Mrs Anel Ries and Mrs Cassidy Roos have welcomed beautiful, healthy babies into the world. In these moments, when we think of the possibility that new life holds and the potential to create a better world for the next generation, We are forced to confront our pessimism and question how we were ever careless enough to think that there was no good left in the world.