Few would disagree these days that we are experiencing very difficult times in a deeply troubled world. So much is blamed on the pandemic, which without a doubt plunged countries into situations that ruptured day-to-day activities to an extent where anxiety and fear of the unknown touched millions as the coronavirus shattered just about every society.

Apart from the impact on daily activities, the disease which claimed millions of lives globally also proved a testing time for staying focused and positive, instead of slipping into a state of depression over what seemed a nightmare with no end in sight.

After witnessing tragic scenes from around the world, it really seemed a very dark chapter was about to unfold, where no one could escape from a virus that had the medical world baffled. Since the early stages, a vaccine was finally developed that proved effective against Covid-19, and the rush to massively produce the medicine was launched in the hope of stopping the spread and also to reduce the number deaths.

Bermuda was not spared attacks by the virus, and despite managing to vaccinate a large portion of our population — as in many other countries — there were those who questioned the validity of the vaccine and refused to take the shot.

Whether they knew it or not, they were active agents for spreading the disease and leaving themselves without adequate life-saving protection.

Caught up in all of this were families with children — to think life was challenging for many families even before the pandemic.

Modern communication technology has placed much of the world in a state of having to wade through oceans of false and misleading information where truth and facts are so muddled that it is extremely difficult to weed out what is genuine and constructive. With so much of this available to young people, a heavier burden is placed on parents, who struggle to teach values for a healthy and productive life. Many of our Bermudian parents have this challenge daily.

Apart from that, there are those here in Bermuda, and indeed around the world, who make use of illegal substances to promote a false sense of peace of mind. Last year In America, according to official statistics, some 80,000 died from drug overdoses. So many families globally have been shattered through minds and bodies poisoned by substances that promise peace of mind with deadly results.

The search for peace of mind is nothing new, and many books over the years have been written dealing with this subject. However, the search is never-ending, with enough confusion in a world overcrowded with divisiveness, bigotry and mistrust of some in leadership roles.

Peace of mind is not about how much you own, or being in a powerful position with authority over others. It really is a matter of how well one plays their part in helping to build a community symphony to promote the best in people. That is certainly not an easy task, especially when there are those who turn their backs on basic rules designed for safe and peaceful living.

It could be constructive to think of our community as a symphony orchestra, where musicians often with different cultural backgrounds apply their talents using a variety of instruments to produce harmony only possible with each person aware that for the orchestra to produce its best, even if they are 100-strong, the quality of the performance will depend on how well they gel together.

In this fast-paced world, we can often forget that peace of mind can often be right in front of us: that missed glorious sunset, simply watching for a few moments a butterfly quietly moving among flowers. Should anyone say they are too busy for “that nonsense”, then they are too busy to enjoy life.

We should all consider ourselves as members of the Bermuda Symphony. That could make a giant difference as we together try to build a community that will be a match for our natural beauty. Much will depend on well we pool our best skills with dignity and caring for each other.