Light in our hands

Jonathan Wittenberg discusses the effects of the pandemic on environmental concerns

ISTOCK

ACCORDING TO AN ANCIENT JEWISH teaching God says to every person, “Your light is in my hands, and my light is in yours.” We stand at a critical moment in history; the future of humanity itself is at stake. Both COVID-19 and the climate crisis have brought this home to us. “Your light is in my hands” is a call to humility and appreciation of the privilege of life. Over the last two years mortality has stepped closer to us all. We’ve no longer been able to take our personal safety for granted in spaces we had long walked in and out of without a care: shops, cafes and buses. Even on the street we’ve tried to avoid each other. A new insecurity has haunted our actions and our thoughts. For almost a year there was neither a known cure for COVID-19 nor an effective vaccine; science couldn’t work its anticipated miracles. We were faced with an unfamiliar not knowing. In Zadie Smith’s words, we experienced “a global humbling”.