LOCKDOWN! Every letter appears to ooze negativity, dark connotations and hint at Draconian control measures.
Hey! Don't misunderstand me it has been a pretty dismal few months full of fear, uncertainty, misinformation, disinformation and government enforced restrictions that we could never have foresaw in our near future.
Perhaps we could have conceived such a thing at a national level, after all there have been some horrendous acts of terrorism since the turn of the millennium that have re-shaped the way we see the world. Many of us were already seeing what we perceived to be the signs of a huge global recession towards the end of 2019, we all know such times can have far reaching ramifications.
But this has taken place at a global level! Could we ever have imagined such a thing?
In many ways, we really were all in this together, for once, that expression had an immense resonance that was previously only ever hinted at.
I guess in many ways it should not have been a complete surprise. Most of us have read much about the potential for a global pandemic in a world that is so utterly connected like no time in history. We have all watched the documentaries, TV dramas and Hollywood blockbusters about just such a genie being released from the bottle.
Pandemic's have long been a special interest of mine, I have viewed some staggeringly informative TED talks on the topic and read some amazing books on the same, I have always been fascinated by the tens of thousands of potential global points of contact in a modern world where another continent is a mere number of hours away and in the financial reach of at-least a couple of billion people.
The old adage is true though, you can be armed with all the facts, all the knowledge in the world and even believe you are prepared but when the worst happens...
This however is not the angle I want to look at recent events from, this is not the lens that will show the subjective nature of what I am about to explore. I hope the question I pose today gives you genuine cause for thought and contemplation about what exactly has been different in your life on a personal level.
BUT there's more, I only want you to consider the past few months from a purely positive vantage point!
We are all too familiar with what has been happening around the world. The depressive, melancholic, unprecedented ((Gah... I used that word I swore I would try not to!)) turn of events is etched in all it's pessimistic detail in each of our minds. We could all cite a hundred tales of sorrow or sensational, ghoulish headlines or news stories that we have been exposed to.
But for at-least a few moments I would like to look at an aspect of LOCKDOWN that many have been unable to see, because often when we feel low, the world takes on a certain dark hue that disables us from seeing the sun through the dark clouds.
Have you noticed anything positive or personally beneficial over the last few months that you could not have imagined before this dreadful time?
I have asked this question to a multitude of people recently and have had a wide variety of answers that I could not have imagined. I am quite an optimistic guy for the most-part and actively try and glean green shoots from the darkest times in life because... uhm... Well it's just better than the alternative of seeing only the bad stuff, right?
Some people think I am a little insensitive or sick even to try and look for positives at a time like this, I understand the criticism but feel compelled to reject it because I think that is a part of the reason any of us are here in the first place.
Others have been taken aback by the query but after a little mental probing realised exactly what I was getting at and gave some fabulous answers. A relative of mine has taught himself to play guitar, something he has been meaning to get round to for over 20 years. I know several people who have been learning another language, usually with a similar response in the way that it is something they have been planning to get around to for a long, long time.
I know people who say they have completely rethought their job or career choices whilst away from work after feeling the old aches and pains and familiar tensions melt away given the unplanned sabbatical from their daily grind. Time and distance really do foster and give the opportunity for clarity and many realise that absence doesn't always make the heart grow fonder.
There are tales abound of community heroes, those who have gone out to the needy, vulnerable and those without a family network around them, for some this was a once in a lifetime experience on which they will look back in years to come knowing they did their part, for others it has ignited the spirit of altruism and shown them the rewards of doing good for others that will stay with them for life.
But by far the greatest response in my opinion is that from those people who say the time 'cooped up' with their spouse and/or kids has created an opportunity to reconnect, many admit that yes at times it has been stressful, especially for those with small homes and doubly for those without a garden or outside space but many insist they wouldn't change this chance to just be together if they could go back and change things.
Hundreds of millions of people have spent more time with their families in these few months than at anytime in their life to date. Maybe some people have decided that they are in the wrong relationship and maybe have little in common, in the long-run this is perhaps a positive too when viewed through glorious technicolor 20-20 hindsight.
I have worked throughout the past few months due to working in the food production/manufacturing industry and as such have obviously been deemed an essential, or 'key-worker'. So in many ways life has seemed undisturbed in the way it has been for many. Of-course I have noticed many changes to daily-life though.
The traffic on the roads when I was going to work felt more like a lazy Sunday afternoon than the morning rush hour. The air-quality has been infinitely better for the past couple of months. Like so, so many people my family and I have fallen in love with our garden all over again. I have exclaimed many, many times of late, I will never EVER take my garden for granted ever again and as I mentioned earlier I really do feel for those who do not have this peaceful haven to retire to for calm contemplation and tasks to keep occupied.
There has seemed to be much more wildlife around too, it seems like rabbits, foxes, deer and birds have ventured further afield than they usually would due to the quiet nature of usually busy areas.
My intention with this post was not to belittle the harsh events that many have suffered recently but just to ask instead, is there another way to view recent events through a gaze of gratitude and a radar that detects only positives so that we can see a glimmer of light and hope from the worst that life has to offer.
I love, love LOVE genuine engagement and I would dearly love it if you would take a moment to share your thoughts of what positives you were able to glean from LOCKDOWN. I read ALL comments and love to respond and have met many a new friend in the comment sections of the blockchain.
Hi mate, thanks for this solid entry for the posting initiative.
This global situation has shaken many people about and I think many have learned valuable lessons about the world, their place in it, and themselves. And also many have probably learned nothing. Time will tell. I believe there's more pain to come, financial stresses etc. and of course personal. I heard yesterday that here in Australia where we lost about 110 people there is a projection of some 4,000-5,000 suicides that could be attributed to COVID-related financial issues. Time will tell.
Anyway, all that aside, you have thrown a solid entry into the posting initiative so thank you for doing so and all the best.
Thank YOU so much Galen, much appreciated my friend 🙂
Sadly fear on at least one of those points you are unequivocally correct and I wish you were not. We will be paying an extremely heavy price for this for many, many years to come! From the beginning of the current situation I maintained that the vast cost to human life would come from many different areas of society.
I guess that is pretty much my reason for looking for a chink of light from somewhere, anywhere in this mess.
Thanks for the engagement man, it is so much more than appreciated, Take great care 🙂
You have stated, very eloquently I might add, exactly what I feel in this situation. Time will reveal how it unfolds of course, however your dot-points could be seen as the waypoints on the roadmap of the journey we're about to embark upon. Sadly, there will be many casualties.
Engagement is my thing Steven, and whilst I still have to post as well, I write a lot of comments and engage with many people (some 500 comments this week; Sentences, not single words.) I also have a day job and a life in this crazy world we live in so...I do what I can and spread myself out.
Anyway, have a great weekend.
As you have said who would have thought that the whole world will be in the same predicament at the same time?
The lockdown forced me to take a much-needed rest for the first time in 7 years. Even if I was away from home I was working on my laptop as I work for myself I continued working while away. I do holiday letting and with the lockdown none of that is allowed so there was nothing to do but rest.
It seems that holiday letting will be one of the last businesses to open again. So I had to seek for other ways of earning money. This is what brought me back to blogging which I enjoy much more than holiday letting. I stopped two years ago on steemit because of the low price of sbd and steem but now I'm back with a bang blogging on Hive!!😁
It's a case of adapt or die!!
Yes the second I saw your name I realised we had interacted way back when, the '777' is obviously pretty distinctive too, I'm sure that helped jog my near-clapped-out memory. I m thrilled that you are back among the community albeit in a re-vamped form, no matter the reason for it.
It's strange how while we are in the midst of repeating patterns that give us very little time to take a step back and reflect we can be almost oblivious to how things really are. I think many people, if not most of us will see some truth in this. It's as though the merry-go-round never ceases long enough for us to truly take in our surroundings.
It doesn't really matter how we come to realisations about our happiness and fulfillment as long as we get there in the end I guess.
I guess one could view that statement in one of two very distinct ways, maybe even using a metaphor of two glasses filled or emptied 50% of the way up or down ((lol)) I choose to see empowerment and action behind the sentiment and say Kudos to you for however long a period of reflection you undertook and the choice of doing something rather than nothing. We both know that many people choose stagnation, inaction and atrophy rather than questioning their own private heaven or hell.
I see a wonderful resurgence ahead in your life and would love to welcome you back to the fold as it were, it is truly wonderful to have you back among us, take great care I look forward to crossing paths many times in the future 🙂
Thank you for the wonderful reply and warm welcome. Would be great to interact some more. Enjoy the weekend! 🤗
I think lockdown has positive things. Like you said, to take time to develop more clarity about your life, relationship, job etc. I think I have discovered that I am even more powerful than I thought and I felt a sense of inner pride to go through quarantine alone. I also had more time to read and to draw. Lockdown is not so bad if you learn what to do with your time. It is a useful get away from normal routine and it allows you to re-evaluate your perspective over your life. Maybe this is the shock some people needed in their lives, as harsh as it may sound. I realised we need very little to be happy. Big concrete walls are useless. I rather live in nature, in a more modest house, rather than in the overcrowded urban place. I realised we need to appreciate the little things and be gentle with ourselves and others.
That sounds like a massive cause from celebration, as you say if we can find a little perspective even in the very worst of times it can give us a glimmer of hope to cling to and hopefully build in to something far more magnificent than we ever dared imagine for ourselves!
There has doubtless been a massive opportunity hidden amongst the adversity for those who chose to seek it out, I sincerely hope many did. Who knows maybe we will come out of this slightly better as a species??? That would be an utterly wonderful side-effect of something so seemingly dismal wouldn't it?
I think this is a revelation I was only able to come to given the benefit of age and 20-20 hindsight that time and experience has afforded me, I kinda wish we were all born with this understanding. There is nothing wrong in wanting nice things and some material comforts but they are certainly not baubles and trinkets to be pursued simply for the reasons of collecting stuff in the way the advertising and marketing industries have conditioned many to believe.
I absolutely love your username by the way, I'm unsure why I find it so endearing but it really is lol.
Thankyou so very much for taking time to stop-by and doubly for choosing to share your thoughts, engagement is the golden nugget of life within this community, I keep believing that message will finally sink in and the penny will drop for the many. Take great care, I am pleased you have been able to see personal growth at such a seemingly terrible time 🙂
Thank you for your kind words, I believe we will all be different after this, one way or another.
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STOPTo support your work, I also upvoted your post!
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Support the HiveBuzz project. Vote for our proposal!
Oh no, not for an instant, I love the notifications regarding milestones and helping me set mini goals as something to reach for. Long may you continue to give a little hope to those who feel they are not making so much progress in their blockchain journey 😎
Awww thank you so much for your kind words @stevenwood! You made my day ❤️❤️
It would be very appreciated if you could support our proposal so we can keep up the good work!
cheers, liz
Heyy Liz, your response in turn made my day so I think we are equal haha :)
I must confess that I did not expect a personal message as a reply, ((maybe an automated response from Skynet with an AI will destroy the planet undertone hehe)) but it was extremely welcome.
Sadly I have little stake behind me but voted anyway as I am certain every little helps, right? This is maybe a random comment but if you need testimonials when applying for funding/delegation etcetera, feel free to use my above comment as feedback to how the community perceives what you do. Take great care and keep buzzing :)
Aww that is really nice of you @stevenwood!
Thank you for your unfailing support, it is really appreciated! ❤️🙏
cheers, liz