LIVING WITH LOCKDOWN

Living with lockdown - what a strange new reality for everyone. I can hardly begin to imagine how people will explain this life, implemented to ‘flatten the curve’ of Covid 19, to their grandchildren in days to come.

As I mentioned in my previous post, for some, particularly health care workers, it means giving their all in extremely difficult and dangerous circumstances, often with a shortage of PPE and equipment. For them, the huge emotional, mental and physical toll is enormous, hardly able to be comprehended by the rest of us. Many of them are even living in separate accommodation to their families so as not to put them at risk. Then there are the essential workers, often poorly paid and generally given little recognition, putting in long hours to provide us with essential services. The world has indeed been turned upside down.

For many, the prospect of working from home for an indefinite time can be daunting. There are those who embrace it gratefully - working in peace, without interruptions, without colleagues moaning, sitting in comfy clothes is absolute bliss. For others, the isolation begins to have a detrimental effect, leading to less productivity rather than more. All the time in the world doesn’t lead to more being achieved, but less. There are those trying to cope with young children, youngsters with specific needs, relatives in poor health, wondering how they will get through another day.

To begin with, many of us found ourselves fighting against the constraints of the new life. We were kicking out against it, resenting our loss of freedom. It came upon us with such suddenness: no warning; no time to prepare; no time to plan. The initial feeling was that of being trapped, imprisoned, a strange sense of unreality. As the weeks have gone on, however, I am finding that I am starting to ease into this new way of life. Although it has its limitations, it also has many benefits. Granted, we can’t hug or spend time with our nearest and dearest, but we can keep in touch by means of modern technology. Although we can’t go out and socialise, we have time to follow new pursuits that previously we didn’t have time for. We can rest and recharge, taking time out from normally hectic lives.

In the words of Socrates, perhaps we should focus our energy, not on fighting the old, but on building the new. As Lao Tzu wisely reminds us: “Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don't resist them; that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like.” Perhaps we will all cope better if we lean into the wind, not battle against it. Although life is very different and at times challenging, it can still be very rewarding and worthwhile. In this time of lockdown, let’s feed our minds every day with hope, truth and love.