You’ll Realize How Much you’ve Learned This Year Once you Put Everything into Perspective
The pandemic was a necessary wake-up call
Is anyone else tired of living through major historical events?
First a Pandemic and now a record-setting presidential election. It’s all too much to comprehend. I’m waiting for a late-night talk show host to create a 2020 montage that reminds us of everything we’ve dealt with this year.
John Oliver did something similar in 2016. If only he would’ve known how things would turn out four years later.
“Joe Biden has won the 2020 Presidential Election by a landslide,” is what I thought I’d hear a few weeks ago.
Instead, much like the rest of 2020, we were left waiting for some good news.
In a year that has been entirely unpredictable, we finally have something to celebrate. However, it’s not time to pop the champagne yet. We still have work to do. We need to keep ourselves accountable.
We need to spread positivity.
Before we move into what seems like the end of the tunnel, it’s important to put this year into perspective and learn from it.
The beginning was just the beginning
Day 5 of quarantine: I turn off my Zoom call and walk into my living room to find my dog staring aimlessly out the window. She’s a little chihuahua mix, and she is poised on top of a couch pillow.
“Is this what my dog feels like when I leave for work?”
I ask myself this as the weight of the lockdown comes over me. I stare into her beady, brown eyes as I inquire about her life. She does this day after day.
“You’ve really been locked inside this house your entire life, haven’t you?”
She looks at me with a perplexed, head slightly tilted look. She didn’t say anything, even though she looks like she wants to.
She has in fact been stuck in this house, except for the occasional walk or car ride, for 10 years.
I wondered if this quarantine would be so bad after all. In fact, the time off might do me some good. I could live a dog’s life for a little.
Little did I (we all) know that the “lockdown” would last for many months. I (we) wanted to believe that a vaccine would save us eventually.
The Pandemic didn’t waste your life away
The average American lifespan is 78.7 years. If you felt like the last 9 months were a complete waste of your life, then we need to talk.
For the sake of argument, let’s say a vaccine doesn’t come out until March. It could come sooner, but it could very well arrive later. So, one year seems like a fair amount of “lockdown” time.
Let’s also say that nationwide “lockdowns” began in March of 2020. (I put quotes around the word “lockdown” because some states take it more seriously than others).
That gives us a year to measure against the average lifespan.
For the average American, one year represents 1.274% of their life. One might argue that the Pandemic wasted more than 1% of their life, but that’s a “glass is half empty” perspective.
Did you sit in your room and stare at your wall for a year straight?
I mean, come on. My dog is either sleeping, or staring out the window and barking at the neighbors when I’m not home. She’s doing something.
There’s no way you sat in a corner and didn’t think of anything to do.
I, for one, started writing again. I picked up the pen (sorry, keyboard. I wanted to sound cool), and I learned the art of the blog.
I had never blogged before, but I learned some tricks of the trade in a few months. I started writing like crazy, and people actually read my work.
I took advantage of a crappy situation, and so did other young people.
We found the positives in a negative situation, and we are better because of it.
Look on the bright side
Imagine living in the 1940’s. You’ve entered the draft, and are going to war to fight for your country. There’s a difference between what you could’ve been doing and what you’re doing now.
There’s a difference between seemingly “wasting” your life and actually losing it.
Those who came before us lived in much different times. They probably thought the same way we do now.
“Why can’t the world go back to normal?”
As if it ever was normal. Something big inevitably happens every 15 years anyway. That’s just an assumption, but based on my logic, it seems like everyone is going to live through at least one crisis in their lives.
We’ve just so happened to be the ones to live through the first modern pandemic.
We’ve unconsciously dealt with the situation
Since March, our lives have been in a standstill.
The world around us is still hustling and bustling, but what about our immediate world? Think about…
- The amount of cars that drive on your street
- The activity level in your city
- The amount of times you leave the house per week
Your cogs are turning, and so are everyone else’s. They’re all moving different parts of the machine that runs the world around you.
In the moment, news of impending lockdowns is scary. But months later, humanity is still kicking. People are finding ways to entertain themselves.
They still have parties, though hopefully small ones. They interact with their loved ones, though from a safe distance.
We can do just about anything. We just have to wear a mask.
Final thought: Humanity has leveled up
Yeah, we’ve all become a little lazier. In fact, the average American gained weight during the Pandemic.
What matters is that we’ve adapted to the times. We’ve picked up hobbies that may last a lifetime. We’ve become more politically charged and are breaking voting records.
Regardless of the obvious negatives, society is waking up and people are informing themselves.
We, as a whole, are starting to take care of one-another.
One indication is the American adoption of mask-wearing. In Asia, sick civilians wear masks to protect others from their illness. It’s a common courtesy that’s built into their society.
“The Japanese wore them when they were sick, to protect others from getting their germs. Being uber polite and group-minded people, this made sense to me. They felt it was their civic duty to protect others.” — Cynthia Kim Beglin
Now, the educated, and selfless, wear masks because it’s the right thing to do. Masks protect them, and those around them.
I dislike masks as much as the next person. They make me breakout and it’s just another piece of apparel I have to remember to wash. But it’s not that hard to wear. I often forget I’m even wearing it.
Like any habit, we get used to doing something over time. We’ve become accustomed to the lockdown lifestyle. In many ways, this lifestyle will carry over into our next chapter.
- Zoom parties will carry on
- Curbside delivery will be a standard business practice
- People will continue working from home
Not only will our lifestyles carry over, but so will our voices.
The most important takeaway from the last nine months is that we will not stand-by and go unheard. Even when a virus threatened humanity, people still took to the streets and fought for what they believed in.
Change happened. Change will continue to happen.
This year made sure of it.
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