Empty streets, abandoned cities, and deathly silence. An apocalypse? The zombies would be those human-looking creatures that have evolved to have no mouths. A living dystopia? Or just Covid. The media’s shouting louder than ever about Covid-19 responses and lockdowns, muting what was once a regular news flow. Lockdowns: one person’s living hell, another person’s heaven.
For me, it’s the latter. I love the solitude of the city, and the sound of silence that permeates the air when I can walk in the middle of the road safely - that is until a distant chattering pierces my ears. Because suddenly everyone’s been hit with this New Year's Resolution-like motivation spell, and loooves running and getting fit. There’s no more driving, but instead a drive to strive for our health goals. But like the New Year, it’s short-term; soon enough cars will be back on the roads.
I love the freedom I have over my schedule. Isn’t it ironic that restrictions can be liberating? It’s like how during a power cut we’re forced to finally read a book - it generously gives under the guise of taking. I get to wake up whenever I please, cook a delicious breakfast rather than scoff Weetbix into my mouth while whizzing out the door. I can wander over to my desk to begin my day. In normal life, it's a constant rush hour, with so many activities, and due dates, and responsibilities. There are all these sources of stress! While immersing yourself in a variety of activities, challenging ourselves, and having new experiences creates a healthy lifestyle, it can also sometimes become draining. Lockdown allows me to breathe and re-energise. I shift my focus from the external world to my internal world where I can focus on my hobbies, self-development, and personal goals. Some others seem to find freedom in the restriction of school bells and yelling kids. Hm. That can be their cup of tea.
Lockdown can force us to focus on what truly matters to us - who do we reach out to first? Who do we miss the most? Which events or activities do we long for? I love that lockdown gives my family the opportunity to come together. With a busy mum and dad, and brother and sister who are in the workplace, having family meals can become an endangered memory. However, with lockdown, we get a taste of the good old days - we’re working and studying beside one another during the day, then playing board games or going for runs together in the evenings. I’m very grateful to be part of a healthy family and to have this kind of experience, but I do wonder… What is it like for others? For the brothers and sisters and sons and fathers with severed bonds, or daughters and wives living in abusive environments, or teenagers struggling with their mental health? While for one family, more time together may be a gift, for another, it could be like piling weight onto an already broken back. It all depends on the lens we’re looking through.
Now, would I really complain when a paycheck comes rolling in and I didn’t have to do a single thing? Forget the rest - the appreciation of solitude or the cherished time with our families; money makes the world go round. I have a part-time job and my main focus is being a student, but for full-time workers, that’s a lot of money! It’s all cause and effect, and I guess this is where the National voters would begin speaking of the great debt our grandchildren will have to pay off. Big businesses can withstand the blow, but many small businesses can’t. They’re either enduring the injury and suffering the scars, or bleeding out completely. This then circles back to the gigantic debate about public health versus the economy.
However, aside from this is our work ethic. Lockdowns may result in us doing no work (some jobs can’t be done online), less work, or too much work. Firstly, being mostly unmonitored in the comfort of our own homes can lead to less productivity; it’s difficult to brush away that side-conversation, or resist the temptation to watch Netflix for just a minute… Lockdowns can encourage a laziness that our nation is still in denial about. On the other hand, some people become borderline workaholics, sitting in front of their screens for hours-on-end and forgetting to take proper work breaks. Or maybe they’re juggling zoom calls with household chores all day long, their personal and work life all blending into one. I do feel sorry for the doctors in twenty years or so that will have to deal with a whole generation of neck issues.
It’s funny how as soon as Covid is mentioned, there’s this toilet paper frenzy, and we get through bottles of hand sanitiser and soap like we’re downing cans of Coke. Of course, during Covid we should be especially cautious, but shouldn’t we also try to follow a consistent standard of hygiene? We should always be washing our hands, coughing into our elbows, and not picking our noses or biting our nails (I know some of us still do it!) Furthermore, looking after our physical health can simply go back to the basics: sleeping eight hours a night, staying hydrated, and regularly moving our bodies. We all know it, but how many of us do it? Let us look after ourselves, and look after one another. Let us have empathy for the sick, love for those around us, and hope for a bright future for our nation.
Like how beauty is in the eye of the beholder, dreams and nightmares are a matter of perception. Everyone has their own political views about lockdown, and naturally, everyone will respond to living in lockdown differently. However, whether it's a source of joy or pain, there is good and bad in everything. We can find ways to be grateful and positive, or find ways to be doubtful, angry, worried, or fearful. Have you heard of the concept of lucid dreaming? It is a state where you become aware you are dreaming. Because of this, you can dictate what happens, being able to do anything like fly, wake up, or meet a celebrity! It is not like a regular dream or a nightmare, but rather, a place where we have control. When it comes to figuring out whether lockdown helps us or hurts us, truth be told, we each get to choose.
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