by Rory Richardson
In this age of digital connectivity, it is impossible to turn on the radio, TV or open a news app without being inundated with euphemisms that seem to restrict our every move. Terms like “social distancing” and “lockdown” try to add a positive spin on what could yet evolve into something much more negative. Everybody seems to have their own ideas on how to cope in these trying times. Whilst I cannot claim to be able to solve all of your lockdown woes, In this article I will share ways in which I have preserved my sanity - the majority of it, anyway. One of the aspects of this isolation that I have found the most difficult is sticking to social distancing. It is not so much in understanding why it is necessary, but in remembering to do it all of the time. Sometimes, it can be very difficult to keep a two metre buffer zone around you. For example, when walking down a narrow path, it can be very difficult to pass people without infringing on their government-prescribed space.
It must be even more difficult for small children, who cannot understand why they can no longer interact with other people. The other day, I was mowing the lawn when my neighbour, a very excitable seven-year-old rushed over and inquired as to what I was doing. His mother rushed over and immediately started shouting at him for getting to close. To me, this seemed over the top, but at the same time it might not be. I did not know the child’s medical history. I did not know if he had any underlying medical conditions. Now more than ever, it is important not to jump to conclusions. At first, that mother could have seemed angry and harsh, yet she might be trying to save her son’s life.
If this international crisis had occurred at any other point in recent history, I doubt that the general population would have been able to cope as well as they have. In the era of mobile phones, nobody can truly be isolated. A plethora of apps promoting connectivity and allowing for video calling are readily available, with even more being released as the lockdown extends. One of the only unsurprising parts of the planet’s response to the virus is how people have found ways to profit from tragedy. The Apple store listed 23 official video conferencing calls at the start of this calendar year. When compared with the 88 currently available, it is obvious to see a truly capitalist attitude emerging from the loneliness of the world.
“Houseparty” is an app which was well established long before the start of the virus. I myself used it in the immediate aftermath of the end of school to remain in contact with friends. However, just as Britain was beginning to close down, it was the target of a huge so-called “smear” campaign, where rumours of hacking were falsely spread around. At the same time a relatively unknown app from the bastion of security issues, Facebook, burst onto the scene. Immediately, it was adopted by governments around the world. I would like to think there was at least a little testing before desperation brought some of the most powerful governments in the world to blindly trust a company proved untrustworthy. My younger sister was on a call with her friends when a man they had never seen before joined them and started shouting at them. Something that can be taken away from this is that anyone, world leaders to year 7s, need to be careful and not just trust the only app suitable for their needs.
Now that it is a requirement that people stay at home, and the novelty has worn off, it is important to make sure your time is spent meaningfully. I have powered through a whole heap of novels from an online library in an effort to keep my mind working. A lot of my time has also been dedicated to completing work assigned by my school. Whilst not enjoyable, the importance of keeping fresh in my mind the specific knowledge needed to pass an exam that I am not going to be taking any more is obvious. I suspect that the schoolwork may also be an effort to keep children in a routine and to keep them from growing restless, but my varying theories regarding this subject may have to be the subject of another article.
Overall, my attitude towards the Coronavirus is somewhat complex. On the one hand, I can see that it is a global crisis that rushes world governments into making quick decisions and confines them to them with pride. But in contrast, Newspeak such as “social distancing” and “self isolation” is enough to make anyone dig out their Orwellian goggles and start looking at the world from a darker perspective. “Self isolation” as a phrase - not a concept - really epitomises my lockdown. “Isolation” in this case is simply a less intimidating word for quarantine. With regards to the “self” part however, the false impression of an independent choice is generated. It is not you at all that is keeping you inside, not your concern for other people’s health, but the enormous pressure placed upon you by society to comply with new social rules; not those involving distancing, but instead just staying inside when ill.
The heavy use that these new idioms now enjoy has likely aided in how they have now
embedded within our everyday lives. I would not be surprised if this also makes it considerably more difficult to return to the currently accepted normal. To address the title of this article, I think that it has been over-analysing things that have kept me going through what will go down in history as a truly odd time.
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| painting by Edward Hopper (Metropolitan Museum of Art) |
In this age of digital connectivity, it is impossible to turn on the radio, TV or open a news app without being inundated with euphemisms that seem to restrict our every move. Terms like “social distancing” and “lockdown” try to add a positive spin on what could yet evolve into something much more negative. Everybody seems to have their own ideas on how to cope in these trying times. Whilst I cannot claim to be able to solve all of your lockdown woes, In this article I will share ways in which I have preserved my sanity - the majority of it, anyway. One of the aspects of this isolation that I have found the most difficult is sticking to social distancing. It is not so much in understanding why it is necessary, but in remembering to do it all of the time. Sometimes, it can be very difficult to keep a two metre buffer zone around you. For example, when walking down a narrow path, it can be very difficult to pass people without infringing on their government-prescribed space.
It must be even more difficult for small children, who cannot understand why they can no longer interact with other people. The other day, I was mowing the lawn when my neighbour, a very excitable seven-year-old rushed over and inquired as to what I was doing. His mother rushed over and immediately started shouting at him for getting to close. To me, this seemed over the top, but at the same time it might not be. I did not know the child’s medical history. I did not know if he had any underlying medical conditions. Now more than ever, it is important not to jump to conclusions. At first, that mother could have seemed angry and harsh, yet she might be trying to save her son’s life.
If this international crisis had occurred at any other point in recent history, I doubt that the general population would have been able to cope as well as they have. In the era of mobile phones, nobody can truly be isolated. A plethora of apps promoting connectivity and allowing for video calling are readily available, with even more being released as the lockdown extends. One of the only unsurprising parts of the planet’s response to the virus is how people have found ways to profit from tragedy. The Apple store listed 23 official video conferencing calls at the start of this calendar year. When compared with the 88 currently available, it is obvious to see a truly capitalist attitude emerging from the loneliness of the world.
“Houseparty” is an app which was well established long before the start of the virus. I myself used it in the immediate aftermath of the end of school to remain in contact with friends. However, just as Britain was beginning to close down, it was the target of a huge so-called “smear” campaign, where rumours of hacking were falsely spread around. At the same time a relatively unknown app from the bastion of security issues, Facebook, burst onto the scene. Immediately, it was adopted by governments around the world. I would like to think there was at least a little testing before desperation brought some of the most powerful governments in the world to blindly trust a company proved untrustworthy. My younger sister was on a call with her friends when a man they had never seen before joined them and started shouting at them. Something that can be taken away from this is that anyone, world leaders to year 7s, need to be careful and not just trust the only app suitable for their needs.
Now that it is a requirement that people stay at home, and the novelty has worn off, it is important to make sure your time is spent meaningfully. I have powered through a whole heap of novels from an online library in an effort to keep my mind working. A lot of my time has also been dedicated to completing work assigned by my school. Whilst not enjoyable, the importance of keeping fresh in my mind the specific knowledge needed to pass an exam that I am not going to be taking any more is obvious. I suspect that the schoolwork may also be an effort to keep children in a routine and to keep them from growing restless, but my varying theories regarding this subject may have to be the subject of another article.
Overall, my attitude towards the Coronavirus is somewhat complex. On the one hand, I can see that it is a global crisis that rushes world governments into making quick decisions and confines them to them with pride. But in contrast, Newspeak such as “social distancing” and “self isolation” is enough to make anyone dig out their Orwellian goggles and start looking at the world from a darker perspective. “Self isolation” as a phrase - not a concept - really epitomises my lockdown. “Isolation” in this case is simply a less intimidating word for quarantine. With regards to the “self” part however, the false impression of an independent choice is generated. It is not you at all that is keeping you inside, not your concern for other people’s health, but the enormous pressure placed upon you by society to comply with new social rules; not those involving distancing, but instead just staying inside when ill.
The heavy use that these new idioms now enjoy has likely aided in how they have now
embedded within our everyday lives. I would not be surprised if this also makes it considerably more difficult to return to the currently accepted normal. To address the title of this article, I think that it has been over-analysing things that have kept me going through what will go down in history as a truly odd time.
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