'The Best-Laid Plans of Mice and Men'

A poem “To a Mouse,” by Robert Burns, states,’The best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry….’ No matter how carefully we plan, something could go terribly wrong with our plans. For example, in the famous novel written by John Steinbeck entitled Of Mice and Men, the two main characters, George and Lennie have big dreams to have a place of their own and live their lives free from society’s grasp. However, just as the mouse’s plans fail, so do George’s and Lennie’s plans go awry, and they are left to live with grief and sorrow.

Let’s take a look at some plans that have recently failed in our world. The U. S. was rock’n and roll’n with the best economy in 100 years. Americans were blindsided by the Covid-19 virus, and the economy took a nose-dive and many lost their jobs. The stock market plunged! Thirty-three million Americans filed for unemployment benefits during the Coronavirus Pandemic. Many businesses will not be able to reopen after being forced to close their doors.

The U. S. death toll is the highest in the world and surpasses 100,000. More than 190,000 people in the world have lost their lives due to the Covid-19. Perhaps you lost someone you loved, a friend or a family member.

Yes, we had the best-laid plans. We were headed in the right direction. Things were finally going our way. Seniors were on the verge of graduating, crossing the finish line, accomplishing a long awaited goal, achieving the success of twelve years of a formal education. They were weeks away from receiving their diplomas, and crossing the finish line. Victory was within their grasp, or so they thought.

We thought we had a green light and were blindly enjoying our prosperity. Families were buying new cars, new homes, and taking expensive vacations. Shopping online was all the rage. We were even buying vacation homes. Then the unthinkable happened! We were stopped in our tracks. We were forced to surrender to an invisible enemy, a virus. As a result, we were reluctantly given time to think, to ponder the true meaning of life, and to stop and consider what is really important in our lives, i.e. family, home, and life itself.

When this pandemic is over, may we always be thankful for what we have so often taken for granted. May we remember to love and appreciate our family and avoid having a cavalier attitude toward others. If I may borrow the words of a Tim McGraw song, “Always stay humble and kind.” Go ahead and make your plans, but always be prepared that even the best-laid plans may not work out the way you think that they will.

Sources:

https://www.axios.com/coronavirus-west-virginia-first-case-ac32ce6d-5523-4310-a219-7d1d1dcb6b44.html

https://www.aresearchguide.com/to-a-mouse.html

https://www.usnews.com/news/economy/articles/2020-05-07/more-than-33-million-americans-have-filed-for-unemployment-during-coronavirus-pandemic

https://www.dictionary.com/browse/the-best-laid-plans-of-mice-and-men-often-go-awry

https://www.google.com https://www.google.com/search?