Message from Anthony Lambros

Message from Anthony Lambros And there goes 2021 in a flash! Finished. Gone. Vanished.

Every now and again, don’t you get the feeling that time has stopped? Or that we’ve lost count of the weeks, the months, the years? I sure do. Sometimes it feels like I’ll see 2019 if I look over my shoulder, and suddenly 2022 is knocking on our door. Isn’t it crazy how a microscopic virus can bring to its knees the (arguably) dominant species on the planet? Covid-19 may be invisible, but it sure isn’t invincible – our global scientific community is bearing witness to this. Some of you may have followed our recent Web Forum, which was named “Getting Back on Course” for pretty obvious reasons. We hope this will be in 2022, but for me the real question is not “when?” but “how?”. What will we be left with after this is over? The Ancient Greeks had a saying: “Ουδέν κακόν αμιγές καλού”, which literally means that there is no evil that does not also give birth to something good – similar to the British saying: “Every cloud has a silver lining”. I’ll try to share with you the positive messages that, in my view, should come out of this pandemic:

• We are all on the Same Ship: Put aside race, gender, religion, nationality, age or anything else we thought made us different – we are all equally vulnerable and we should all be equally thankful and respectful. Let us not forget this in the future. • Mental Well-Being matters: We need to take this topic seriously. Our health is on the line and in many cases our very survival. We all need to focus on Mental Health in the future.

• We can be Resilient: Everyone has this capacity within them, we just did not practice it or exercise it. The pandemic has given us reason to do so, and it is something we should continue throughout our life. • Change and Adaptability is our Way of Life:

Just look at the leaps in technology and communications during these two years.

Consider the new operating procedures everywhere, affecting how we eat, how we greet each other, how we work, how we travel, etc.

We have adapted in order to stay alive, and we did so quickly and quietly. Change is part of our future – we must embrace it, and we must learn to manage it. • We must Take Care of each other: The pandemic has reminded us what friendship and family is all about. After being separated from each other (whether on board or ashore), many of us have reached out and have come closer to others. We all need friends and our friends need us. Be a caring colleague. Be a friend. Let’s continue taking care of each other in the future.

Most of all, let’s try to keep these messages firmly in our minds and close to our hearts when the pandemic ends. Let’s not consume ourselves in trying to reach new highs, to make up for lost time, to start racing again. Let’s never forget what we have been through and what this experience has taught us. Let’s Get Back on Course, but this time with a new vessel that carries all these extra features. My fellow colleagues ashore and on board, I thank you again for your efforts, patience, resilience and hard work during these difficult years. You have contributed to the world economy and global community in excess of your fair share. I am proud of you all. Please keep up the good work in 2022.

In closing, I’ll leave you with a familiar, but ever so important message: