The Year that Taught Us a Lesson.
“Covid-19 will reshape our world. We don´t yet know when the crisis will end. But we can be sure that by the time it does, our world will look very different. “
– Josep Borrell-
It feels like yesterday when we stepped into 2020. The year, we all will remember.
When the clock struck midnight on New Year´s Eve, and 2020 began, we started all getting used to writing “01.01.2020” instead of “01.01.2019”. The best wishes for families, friends, personal affirmations started pouring in and out, as with every new year beginning. It was just another calendar year and we all had our hopes, dreams, and goals planned, hoping again, that this time we would achieve at least some of them.
The First 3 months have passed and then came “COVID-19” followed by the total “lockdown”. Suddenly, we had to put everything on hold- traveling plans, hitting the gym regularly as preparation for the upcoming summer, visiting the long-planned restaurant, theater, city, etc. Well, basically we put on hold all typical plans we used to make and realize so easily before.
Shocked by the fact, that the normal life we were all used to have, we could not live normally anymore. This was one frustration to start with. But then it was overweighted by the bigger fear. Our minds and hearts got filled with the constant fear of losing one precious thing of life- our life, our family members, our friends, and even colleagues, distant relatives- basically anybody.
There are so many different levels of impact that Covid-19 has done. From extremely impacted countries that lost people in high numbers, to countries where the number would be significantly lower. From weakened living conditions of individuals to the economic impact on the governments, every part of the society has got affected.
The flip side of life.
Regardless of the country, we all had to adjust somehow. This lockdown showed us the flip side of life. If you ask me now, I´d say all of us had learned something. We learned the meaning of the work-life balance, what working from home feels like- for someone suitable for some just a big “NO” to home-office. Kids switched to online schooling, got bored, parents busy and elders had no choice. Somewhere in between, many of us had panic attacks and emotional disturbances. The uncertainty in every aspect of life- work, career, school, health, family- once this anxiety started early this year, it still continues.
Values Shift.
While this pandemic has shown us the flip side of life, it also showed us how to value our lives. And oh yes, it has taught us rather the hard way. Endless discussions, articles, quotes we started to see and hear about how to value the present time and start to live in the moment because we witnessed how one can lose it in a glimpse of seconds.
But how many of us have actually done that other than just adjusting and getting along with the new routines? It is December 2020, and since the outbreak, we have been trying to stay home and safe (the new mantra of life). That notion of “slowing down” reached us all during the first 6 months of lockdown. Until then, we were chasing our dreams, competing with one another, moving forward- quickly.
But soon or later, there were days when we could not enjoy “that break” any longer. Fascinating online communication and connection, has shown that we can do things virtually. But at the end of the day, we felt it, we appreciated what offline human interaction means. A lot. We explored, tried, and used new ways of communicating, working, studying- connecting one with another.
So what have we learned?
From starting new hobbies, finding the way to be present to enjoying and appreciating little things in life. Well, some have turned the negative side of a pandemic to positive outcomes. Some have not. The one thing has not changed in these 12 months and this is the lesson we all learned for sure:
As we were all anxious due to the uncertainty that lay ahead of us, we have managed to accept this fact and get over this anxiety. 2020 showed us life as it is. It is not about how many walls you hit to reach your destination, it is about how you make your way through them.
Regardless of the destination, we all witnessed that humanity can adjust and get through the walls. The pandemic burst our bubbles but surely shown us that we are resilient, patient, and full of hope. This is a common human characteristic that made societies survive through wars, turmoils, pandemics. 2020 proves we are able to live and fight through bad times together.
And in better times? Hopefully, when better times come, we will appreciate it with full awareness. So will our world be different? The world is us. Will we be different? It depends on each of us and what lesson we want to take out of this current world pandemic.
-Tina-