Pandemic Through the Eyes of a 15 Year-Old

The pandemic took us all by surprise, there’s no arguing that. Everyone is constantly talking about its effect on our future behavior, how this will change the way we humans act from now on. But how much of that is true? What is stopping us from going back to our old ways? And what’s wrong with that?

Through my 15 years of experience being a male child, I’ve gathered some knowledge through observing the world from my point of view. I’ve seen how people react in tough situations, I’ve seen how they celebrate when something goes right. I’ve seen enough to know one thing:

The World Will Adapt

Will the world economy take a hit? probably. Will we all remember these months as “the months of the pandemic”? sure. Will we tell the horrid stories of social distancing to our grandchildren? definitely. But how bad was it? We can all learn from our mistakes and move on, we’re all in the same situation, and we will leave no one behind.

What I Learned About Myself

I like my friends. I do. This might not come as a surprise to anyone, but I underestimated the value I find in them and how much I appreciate them.

From the time alone, I learned how much of an introvert I was my whole life. I adapted quickly to the self-isolation and didn’t mind it for over a month. Up until now I had to consider what I will get from every social event. Sometimes I skipped just because I didn’t feel like going. Of course this was accompanied by a classic excuse, but I still felt bad about leaving myself out.

Lately I got sick of it. It’s hard being alone for so long, and it’s not that I’m depressed or something, it’s that I need someone to talk to about my biggest problems and fears, I just like being around other people. I like making jokes out of everyday situations, I like seeing other people smile, laugh.

What I Learned About Everyone Else

We’re all the same. These unusual times put us all in the same situation, as if it was an experiment testing our indifferences. We all fear the virus, some of us fear it more, some almost don’t care, but we’re all bothered by the thought it might hurt us or worse, hurt someone we love.

We all tried to do our best, but we all later looked back at how we tried to fight it and see how miserably we failed. No one’s perfect, but the most important thing is to keep trying, because trying will help bring us back to our normal lives as soon as possible. We know that. Yet we all violated the guidelines in some way or another. And worse than that, we then discussed how irresponsible others are for acting quite similarly.

We must support each other as one. We must help where we can. If we can support, we should, anywhere possible. We.

Life After the Pandemic

In my opinion, from the viewpoint of my 15-year-old self, I see the world recovering. Lives might be changed, but the pure intentions behind them will remain. I believe that over time the world will mostly return to its former self and this era will only slightly hinder our way forward. I think that we will all come out of this as more experienced and more responsible human beings.

This is only my opinion. What do you see happening? How are you coping in these twisted times? Are you 15? 20? 30? 60? Where do you see the world in a few months time? A few years? If you agree with me, tell me why. If I am dead wrong, why so? If there were significant things I've not considered, tell me what you think. Let’s see if we can build a consensus, or spark a great debate.

Special thanks to Mark Kolke