English Vocabulary: Lesson 4- The Passage of Time and Easter (Birth, Life and Death)

THE PASSAGE OF TIME

“Time wastes our bodies and our wits, but we waste time, so we are quits.” ~Anonymous

The advent of the coronavirus pandemic has taught us a lot about time.

From the day we are born, clocks and calendars regulate our everyday lives, giving us a sense of safety and predictability.

We think of time as linear, keeping a straight course and jumping obstacles along the way.

Yet, time is very unpredictable and so is life.

Three months ago, we would never have thought of celebrating Easter under lockdown.

It is surreal for many people to forgo family visits, egg hunts in luscious parks, holidays in wonderful resorts and mostly church gatherings to celebrate the resurrection of Christ.

The Passage of Time, Easter Activities Vocabulary, Learn English With Africa

This year, we have had to tame our expectations.

We are simply content to be alive because many people have succumbed to the deadly COVID-19.

We are grateful for being given the opportunity to spend these important holidays with our loved ones.

We are aware of the extra time we have been given and we want to make good use of it.

Easter is about hope in the face of adversity— it is the triumph of life over death.

Social distancing does not keep us from calling our relatives to wish them well during these trying times.

The closure of parks does not keep us from doing egg hunts in the comfort of our own gardens or homes.

The absence of trips does not keep us from having nice memories about the last holiday we had, nor does it keep us from planning for the next one.

The banning of religious gatherings does not keep us from praying to God to show us mercy and heal our land.

“Time is a sort of river of passing events, and strong is its current; no sooner is a thing brought to sight than it is swept by and another takes its place, and this too will be swept away.” ~Marcus Aurelius

As the pandemic follows its course, we are more and more aware of the passage of time.

We remain steeped into the present because it serves us no purpose to worry about the future. We cannot know what will exactly happen in six months’ time, but we can plan for the next thirty minutes, hour, week or month.

Just as in normal times, we do not know how long we are going to live yet we go to school, work, get married and have children.

What matters is not the end but how we live our lives.

Every single day counts and we must make the most of it.

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