Collective Grief
Ever since the beginning of the Covid pandemic, we, as humanity, have experienced a great deal of collective grief. Collective grief is experienced when large-scale events upend what is considered "normal." This could be wars, natural disasters, and, of course, pandemics.
I vividly remember March of 2020, when everything shut down, and no one knew quite what to do. Even for those who escaped the compounded grief of losing a loved one, the novelty of being "stuck in the house and in the house bored" wore off pretty quickly. In its place there was just a hole. And then, when we were eventually able to move around and see our friends and families, every interaction felt the same. There was always the "how have you been" accompanied by an empathetic head tilt. "Oh, you know" was the canned response. Because we all DID know. We all were experiencing it together, collectively.
I'm seeing similar collective grief in 2025 as well, as the people of the United States try to navigate unsure policies and unprecedented times. We are grieving what felt so safe in its normality. And though, in both cases, the other side of that grief ultimately is growth and breakthrough, in this moment, right now, it is incredibly hard.
We can see collective grief in so many of our favorite shows and movies. After "The Snap" in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, our heroes that remained were thrown into uncertainty and loss. The fall of the 12 Colonies in Battlestar Galactica would have easily been an excuse for any survivor to pack it in. In Star Trek we've watched Vulcan destroyed (in one universe, at least) and the Romulan empire fall. When the Wizarding World is plunged into darkness following Lord Voldemort's return, Harry, Ron, Hermione, and the rest of their friends have to learn to move forward when nothing is the same.
When huge, impossible events happen, it is easy to feel lost. To spiral. To feel overwhelmed. But healing happens within community. Just as we've seen in story after story, in sci-fi and in real life, hope and resilience emerge from collective grief. Find your community and hold them tight. Collective grief can feel overwhelming, but it also can bring us all together.
"Are they the lucky ones? That's what you're thinking, isn't it? We're a long way from home. We've jumped way beyond the Red Line into uncharted space. Limited supplies. Limited fuel. No allies. And now no hope! Maybe it would have been better for us to have died quickly back on the colonies with our families instead of dying out here slowly in the emptiness of dark space."
Commander Adama, Battlestar Galactica
