Disclaimer: The views expressed within this article are entirely the author’s own and are not attributable to Wessex Scene as a whole.
Unless you’ve been living under a rock (which isn’t such a bad idea right now), you will be aware/sick of the word coronavirus. It’s a scary thing to be living through, and with so much content on the matter, I feel as though there is only so much left to write about it that hasn’t already been covered. Thankfully, nobody has written about my experience yet, so that is what I shall offer…a glimpse into the brain of a twenty-something who only recently learnt the word ‘pandemic’…
I’m scared.
I’ve been going through periods of boredom and anger, but mostly, like everyone else, I’m scared. I’ve never lived through something like this before – heck, my parents haven’t lived through something like this before. There is no protocol to follow and so we – the human race – are making it up as we go along, which is not so reassuring considering the political climate in 2020.
This whole self-isolation thing has at least taught me a lot about me as a person and us as a species. For instance, I’ve learnt that I am NOT an introvert after all… in fact, I’m at the point where I’m creating myself on Sims so I can at least virtually go outside. Leading on from that, it’s made me realise how privileged I am to have the luxury of being bored and of missing going to coffee shops and travelling when a lot of us are just trying to survive – and have been trying to do so before the virus. It’s so easy to get into a ‘woe is me mindset’, I’m sure we can all agree, but nothing worthwhile is easy right? It’s a great time to practice consideration for others and to reflect on the bigger picture.
It’s tough for us ALL right now. My final year of university has been cut short, my sister’s trip of a lifetime to Paris has been cancelled, my care-worker mother is dealing with heartbreak every day as yet another old person is turned away from seeing their significant other in their place of residence. Even those deemed as ‘well off’ are struggling; e.g. my step-mum’s law career is at risk due to the effects the virus has had on the economy.
We are all, essentially, victims of Covid-19.
But, with that being said, there is something bittersweet about all of this, with a silver lining coming in the form of community. It’s everywhere, ironically. The touching displays of humanity that have arisen at this time are heart-warming – take the Italians singing on their balconies, the crowd-funders, the helpful services, the people knocking door to door to give company, the NHS! and those putting their lives at risk for the bigger cause.
I’ll reiterate what I said earlier; I’ve never seen something quite like it in my lifetime.
This truly is a crazy time to be living, and it’s made me aware of how much we’ve overcome as a species, and how much more we have left to overcome. At the end of the day, once the virus/plague/wars are over, the thing that will, and always has gotten us through, is each other. Don’t let society disillusion you – we are not individuals, we are a collective of individuals. We are a community. If you take but one lesson from this pandemic, let it be that.
