New England Patriots give us hope for the future and beyond

The New England Patriots and sports, in general, give us hope for the future during this COVID-19 pandemic.

New England Patriots owner Mr. Robert Kraft expressed an opinion that he thought that the NFL football season will indeed be played later this year.

In a recent interview, Kraft said,

"“We’re working hand-in-hand with our union, we believe we’ve developed protocols that allow us to do it in a safe way, looking out first, you know, for our players and our personnel and then, of course, the fans.“I believe we can do it,” added Kraft.More from Chowder and Champions3 Midseason Chaim Bloom Decisions That Have Killed the 2023 Red Sox10 Patriots Who Will Be Cut by Tuesday’s Roster DeadlineMLB Screws Red Sox Fans With Broadcast for Mookie Betts Return3 Most Underpaid Celtics Heading Into the 2023 SeasonRed Sox Continue Rollercoaster Season With Massive Win"

That would be good news on a whole host of fronts.

First, it will signal that this almost unprecedented time of trial and tragedy that our state, nation, and world are in the midst of will be mitigated by the early fall. That would be monumentally good news.

Second, it will provide a diversion, as will any other sports resumed before then, for the millions and billions of fans around the globe who’s hopes and aspirations in a sports sense rise and fall on the fortunes of their teams. Sports are indeed a palliative for us all amidst the greatest world tragedy since World War II.

They help us to grind through our daily routines and provide expectations of parades and glory after a hard-fought and won campaign on the ice, the field, the court, or the pitch.

This is the best of sports, as dedicated athletes, heroes to the millions, vie for the ultimate prizes with the unwavering support of their fans and the unrelenting opposition of their foes.

It is a competition that is good and will be most welcome now as we hope to begin to emerge from this time of tragedy and gloom into a new dawn and a new day of health and happiness for our state, our nation, and our world.

It is in these times of trial and tribulation that people seem to come together to unite as citizens of the world and seek to put behind them their differences and center on our mutual need to prevail. How unfortunate that it has to be in such dire times that this wonderful melding of mind, spirit, and unity of purpose occurs.

Hoping for and looking forward to a brighter day

As the shroud of unhappiness, hopelessness, and tragedy begins to be unmasked, we must not forget the thousands of our brothers and sisters in Massachusetts, in our nation, and in our world-nation to have succumbed to this dreaded affliction.

The trial is neither over nor the final verdict rendered. How many more will succumb and bring unmitigated loss and sadness to families in our state, nation, and the world is unknown.

Yet, we look ahead to when we will finally see the end of this tragic episode in our history and then jointly mourn all those who have been lost to this unrelenting, implacable and relentless enemy of our entire human civilization.

Until then, as the fog begins to lift, as the menace begins to be cornered and as the unremitting beast begins to finally be tamed, we look ahead to better times.

Times of baseball in the heat of summer, football in the colorful fall, and basketball and hockey in the cold of winter. All welcome re-additions to our daily lives and enjoyment.

So as we await the beginning of the New England Patriots pre-season, and the hopeful resumption as late as they may be of basketball, hockey and baseball, and the “other” football, we can hold onto this thought:

As the lyrics from an old song by Starship say,

… we can build this thing together
Standing strong forever
Nothing’s gonna stop us now.

Our state, our nation, and our world must Stand Strong Together to defeat this scourge and all other societal illnesses that afflict us in our minds, bodies, and spirits. Then indeed, “Nothing’s gonna stop us now”.