Every headline, every conversation, every day, all the time. COVID-19 has invaded our lives and our collective consciousness. It seems that every passing hour brings an updated death toll and new suggested safety procedures. The news brings stories of the most impacted countries; we should be counting ourselves lucky to be living where we do. But even our little island has been affected by the crisis. We have had our share of deaths, infections are always on the rise, many are struggling economically. What impacts many of us the most is social isolation.
But weren’t we isolated long before COVID-19?
It’s always been easy to get caught up in our own little worlds, especially with the rise of social media. Social isolation has effectively put our lives on pause, but in a lot of ways the pandemic is bringing us closer together and making us healthier people. Many of us find ourselves now with more free time on our hands than ever. So, what are we doing with it? We are spending more time at home with our families, or on the phone with friends. People are even spending more time outdoors, because that is the only thing left to go do.
We should also be using this time to really think about how this virus has affected our lives and what that means for our futures.
It might feel as if this crisis is going to last forever, but it won’t. One day it will end, the world will be changed, and we will need to find a new normal. This tragedy should be a wake-up call for all of us. Yes, we should be spending more time with our families. Yes, that we should be spending more time outside. But it should also remind us that life is not permanent and that there are real consequences for inaction. Our governments have reacted with speed and strength, but only because circumstances demanded it.
Let us not forget that there is another crisis still standing at our door, one that is not quite so demanding, but far more deadly. COVID-19 has shown us what will happen if we keep ignoring the climate crisis. We might be physically further apart, but for the first time in human history, the entire world is sharing a common enemy and a common goal. That is something to hold on to; that is something to remember we are capable of.