Some Stream-of-Consciousness Thoughts on How We Can Learn from the COVID Lockdown Lifestyle.
Five years ago this month, the world as we know it ground to a screeching halt. Office buildings emptied, and schools were left abandoned as people took shelter inside from an invisible enemy. Even Times Square, usually a bustling metropolis showcasing America’s proudest capitalist fantasies, lay completely silent.
Every March, people begin thinking about where they were when their lives paused in March 2020; and while many associate this time with fear, loss, and heartbreak, others associate it with peace and coziness.
Why is this?
Why do so many people have nostalgic longing for a time rife with fear and suffering?
What does that say about us?
Though the answers to these questions won’t come into focus until more time has passed, there are assumptions we can make.
Against the backdrop of fear and suffering, for the first time in our lives, society was telling us to stay home. It had become socially acceptable to learn new hobbies, spend time with friends and family, or finally complete that project you never had the time and energy for.
There’s a reason people feel nostalgic when hearing songs that were popular in March 2020. Those songs transport us back to a time when we had time to be human. The hustle and bustle of the economy had slowed, and we were no longer living to generate dollars with our labor; we were living to be alive.
Nostalgia, by definition, strips the negative from our memories, creating an almost utopian picture of the past. The lockdown era of the COVID pandemic is no different. While we were fortunate enough to be spending our days playing Animal Crossing, many were losing their jobs and their lives to a disease we knew little about. It is crucial to keep this in mind whenever you find yourself thinking about how calm and quiet society had become.
If you are experiencing any degree of COVID nostalgia this Spring, think about how you can incorporate the best aspects of that time into your life today. Spend more time learning that skill, read that book, play that game.
If COVID reminded us of anything, it’s that life can change overnight. Find space to enjoy your time here while you can.
What is your experience with COVID nostalgia? What do you think it has to say about our society?
Sound off below!
