We’re just finishing our sixth week of lock down in the U.K. I think it is the sixth week or maybe the end of the fifth, I honestly can’t tell anymore. When I think about it being six weeks already, I automatically run through my brain trying to locate some defining accomplishments that would make it plausible for six weeks to have passed. Instead, I am met with an anxiety that I have done nothing, which I know deep down isn’t true. If I really think about it there are lots of things that I can say I’ve achieved during these confusing times. I have started this blog and gotten into a regular habit of writing, I have been practicing yoga and conditioning over other exercises I used to do, I’ve been reading more and making steps towards joining my dream career. It just seems that the day-to-day is so hard to distinguish that it makes me feel like I haven’t done much. That’s when the panic sets in and I feel like time is passing without anything to show for it.
This thought process is counter productive and one that I have kept hold of from life before COVID-19 (it sounds dramatic to describe it as that, but we are in no way living like we used to) and I should start to view my productivity with a different mindset.
We had our next three week round up Boris broadcast tonight and un-surprisingly people are confused and frustrated with what we have been told. Again, Boris has made it clear he is confused and unprepared for how to handle this situation (although it’s been a good couple of months now) and to an extent I can see how it is a unique setting to find yourself in as a leader. Nonetheless, he is the leader of the United Kingdom and being unable to evoke confidence in your people is a big red flag. I’ve watched the broadcast a couple of times now and my take away is that they will be unrestricted exercise and re- opening schools and pubs. I don’t know what I was expecting if I’m honest, and I can’t even tell what other people wanted on Twitter. From the responses I can see it’s hard to know whether they were expecting a stricter lock down or for it to be completely lifted.
A controversial statement was made of working from home, Boris stating that people who can’t fully work from home (using the example of labourers) would be encouraged to return from next week. Labour supporters see this as a class division, how the middle class with nice office-based jobs can continue working safely from home but the working class with minimum wage jobs must risk it if they wish to keep making a living. Basically insinuating that the government can no longer fund people for being unable to work in this climate. It’s a difficult decision and a rough call to make and I’m unsure where I stand with this. I can understand that people would be desperate to return to their jobs to secure that living wage but it is upsetting that they would be made to do it in a climate where we have only just passed our outbreak peak.
I find this time to be very confusing for me to get a grip on, it’s encouraged me to get more involved in politics and global issues but I still feel no better for getting involved. It really feels like we’ve been on a down hill slope for a long time, there’s not even any focus on the particular virus anymore, it’s shifted from the science to the social ramifications. Like many, it’s unclear what we really want, it’s uncharted territory but one thing is for sure, that we have a long way to go.
saharamelts 