Coronavirus has woken the world up to its fragility
Coronavirus. COVID-19. The C-word. Everyone’s got an opinion about it — and how to respond.
Responses range from “Let’s play it by ear,” to “The media is just perpetuating this,” to “That’s it, I’m self isolating.”
But the reality is, life is something that cannot be planned in the wake of Coronavirus. Fun has been cancelled. The collective hysteria around the globe is palpable. The Delay phase is the calm before the storm — and many of us are running to take cover, whilst others keep calm and carry on.
Coronavirus has shaken us to our individual cores. It’s a killer on the loose. And we don’t know how to take it down.
We are woken up to our very fragility. We are not invincible. We are permeable. We are porous. We are bags of flesh, blood, bone, tissue and cells that hold us in and carry us through life. We are humble human beings.
Our orifices are the gateways to our literal inner selves, opening us up to pleasant sights and smells, and naively entertaining unknown viruses, ready to infiltrate our bodies and challenge our daily lives and sense of everything we hold dear.
Travel. Livelihoods. Economic stability. Community. Togetherness.
Instead we are building up walls. We are cancelling freedom of movement. We are barricading ourselves in. Businesses are struggling. Independents are closing — perhaps for good. It’s like Brexit all over again.
Is this looking all a bit too bleak?
During times like these it’s important to keep a grasp on reality. We can be informed of the facts — but also, we need to take a break from the relentless, rolling news fuelling the hysteria.
Follow the NHS advice — and keep it relative to your own lives. Wash your hands. Sneeze into your sleeve. Self isolate if you’re displaying symptoms. Tell your loved ones to take care.
Be armed with facts — then switch off the news. And learn to enjoy small pleasures again.
Protecting your physical and mental health is partly about accepting what you cannot control. You might have your own list of anxieties to contend with. But the reality is (and not limited to):
Relatives won’t be able to make weddings.
Elections will be postponed.
So will Marathons, and concerts and night’s out.
Flights will be stalled.
Money will be lost.
In this day and age we are best equipped in the UK to thrive by ourselves. Some of us are able to work from home. We can read books, watch boxsets (do people call them that anymore?) and wait for this whole thing to blow over. In time.
Hopefully, several months down the line we will remember these times and how much we took for granted. How they made us more resilient and grateful for everything we didn’t realise we had. Who knows?
“Let’s see what happens.”
