There will be lessons to learn from the unprecedented historical moment in which we are living. In the future, we will tell our children about the weeks in which the world plunged into silence. For the first time in our lives, we must conduct our daily routines according to a set of rules. Since the UK entered lockdown on Monday 23rd March, we are only allowed to leave our houses for a limited amount of reasons: a singular trip to buy groceries or for one piece of exercise per day.
The last few weeks have undoubtedly catalysed a wake-up call: how things can so quickly change, and society can grind to a halt in a matter of days. The global scale of the crisis has been difficult to comprehend. Moreover, the virus is not selective; it has united millions across the globe into a community affected in the same way. It might be a worthwhile lesson to learn that the UK is not far removed from issues which may have seemed distant or unimaginable to us before. As the days pass, we must continue to play our part in isolating at home and keeping to the stringent social distancing measures; the sooner and more effectively we conform, the sooner that normality will return.
The virus has catalysed a reassessment of what is important in our lives. It has reminded us that we should cherish our homes and our families; we should consider the things that we take for granted: food, transport, income. Our culture is constructed around the expectation of immediacy: if we want something, we do not have to wait for long - whether that be clothes, a takeaway or a taxi. We all hurtle through our lives at an astounding pace. Yet this pandemic has forced humanity to stop, and wait.
And whilst we wait, the planet breathes. For years our earth has been screaming out for this period of stillness. Its skies and forests and waters have been suffocating at the expense of human behaviour. But now, streets are cleared and planes are grounded, and the planet is rejoicing in the silence.
We should also use this time to relish the silence. Not being allowed outside has compelled us to look inside ourselves instead. The prospect of self-isolating is daunting, in the same way that silence can be unnerving. Silence forces you to listen. We might learn to listen to ourselves properly so that we can start meaningfully listening to others. We might learn to think creatively, thinking of new ways to exercise, reading a book, or learning a new language. We might find that inner contentment can be found without being so reliant on the convenient whims of modern life.
Self-isolation is an exercise in embracing uncertainty. We can practise facing the unknown without fearing it. We might re-evaluate the things that we worry about: issues that seemed so important before, might not seem so important now. We might hold our loved ones close, be courageous, and take this time to become better people. In the UK, we are privileged to live in a society in which its citizens are supported by the government throughout this lockdown. As we observe the pandemic across our country and the globe, we should remember that if we feel safe, have enough to eat, a bed to sleep in and people to love us then we should feel extremely fortunate.
There is value to be found in stillness, and therefore value to be found in this time of self-isolation. As we navigate our way into the new world afterwards, perhaps we will have learned new-found appreciation and awareness. It might bring out the best in us. Maybe when it is all over; when the novelty of reopened clubs and bars has faded and we are swept into the swirling current of modern life once more, we will look back on this period of strange unprecedented silence with gladness. Perhaps we will miss it.
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