by Carmen Visser
Here we are in August 2021, still in the “three week” lockdown that began in March 2020. While the vaccine rollout has progressed somewhat successfully, many countries are still enduring the global pandemic. COVID-19 and everything that came along with it turned our lives upside down. One might wonder just how much of our daily life has been changed by “lockdown”.
Asking someone what life was like before we were placed in lockdown seems like a simple question. You are simply asking them to remember what their lives were like two years ago. However, so much has happened and changed since then. Many of our daily rituals as humans have been abandoned and replaced by new routines.
Before lockdown, humans would spend most of their free time socialising with friends and family members. They would get together in one location, eat communally and often express their love and affection through physical touch. Today, most of us are too nervous to host such get-togethers and be so “touchy” with our loved ones.
Before lockdown, one of the most common ways to introduce yourself or greet someone was a handshake. Italian historian, Arnaldo Momigliano, explains how a handshake represented an immense amount of trust and confidence in ancient Roman times.
While it might not carry the same meaning as it did back then, a handshake does still represent a certain level of trust. You would not expect someone to attack you after they have shaken your hand. Today, we have been forbidden to shake hands with anyone.
Before lockdown, we could make plans for the future and be almost 100% certain that those plans would still happen. Today, we cannot say with certainty that our plans for tomorrow will not be cancelled or changed.
Before lockdown, all we wanted was to have more time at home. We wanted to catch up on sleep, binge-watch new series, learn new recipes and spend more time on our hobbies. Now? All we want is to go outside again.
Furthermore, our approach to big and busy events has also changed. While watching Wimbledon, my family and I found it strange to see so many people sitting almost on top of each other without their masks on. Even though that was considered entirely normal two years ago, it now seems absurd.
These are lonely and uncertain times. Human rituals that have been around for centuries have been updated and replaced. Considering this, it is unsurprising that our mental health and wellbeing have taken a knock.
While it might have been difficult abandoning our usual way of life and adjusting to this “safe” way of life, it will be even harder to adjust back. This brings the following question – will we go back to our old ways of living?
Some elements from the pandemic might be here to stay. Such as the sanitizing of hands when entering a building. While it might be annoying, it is a great way to keep hygienic and prevent the spread of germs, even after COVID-19 is not such a worry.
Moreover, wearing a face mask might also stick around, especially in crowded places such as aeroplanes. Even though we might complain about having to wear a piece of fabric over our mouths and noses, they have become our physical and mental shields against the virus. Simply abandoning them might make us feel vulnerable and unprotected.
Social distancing might only be a lockdown restriction, but I would love it if strangers continued keeping their distance from me in public areas. There is no reason why they cannot stand a metre and a half away from me in queues and shopping aisles.
Another element of lockdown that might stay is making use of our technology for certain events and meetings. In industries such as the business world, a Zoom meeting is much quicker, easier and cheaper than a group of people flying to one location to discuss their agendas.
Although we might all be desperate to return to “normal life”, we should accept that life after lockdown might not be “normal”. Yes, we will have fewer restrictions and more social events, but overall we will adjust to a new way of life.
The global pandemic brought loss, stress and heartache, but it is important to remain optimistic about the future. We appreciate our loved ones more. We make better use of the technology we have, such as online shopping. Finally, we will hopefully have a lot more patience and understanding when it comes to our fellow humans.
Now is the time to stay safe and keep positive. Things will get better with time. We will get through this pandemic. We will go back to a certain kind of “normality”. Until then, here are a few of my favourite pandemic-inspired memes that show the lighter side of lockdown.
