by Pa Rock
Social Isolate
There are pessimists among us who lament that we have brought this biological catastrophe upon ourselves through the constant and deliberate abuse of our planet, her creatures, and her resources. They proclaim that due to our long-term ravaging of our home, we will, from this day forward, be at her mercy through increased famines, floods, fires, and biological maelstroms such as the one we are currently enduring. They warn that we are entering a new era, one we clearly deserve. Welcome to the new normal.
That argument is that we are actively and greedily bringing about our own demise, and we, as a species, do not have the necessary intellect or will to survive. We have had our run as masters of the planet, and it is coming to an end.
A flip side to that bleak view is that our current situation, while admittedly terrible, is actually just a blip in history, an anomaly, an historical outlier much like the Black Plague of the Middle Ages - or the Great Flu of the early 20th century - or the Third Reich - something that we, as a species, will endure, survive, and live to see relegated to the dusty pages of history.
But if this crisis does eventually pass into history without taking us with it, what will we have learned form this very unique experience, and how will we pass that knowledge along to those who come after us?
There will be all manner of discoveries related to the pandemic - medical, scientific, sociological, you name it. New vaccines will be available as a direct result of this experience, and new medicines and medical practices will become part of our daily lives. We may begin arranging our lives differently, in ways that allow more space between individuals and more time between events, and we will likely develop more of an interest in cleaning and fighting germs. In all probability we will also begin storing more groceries and necessary items in our homes, and budgeting with an eye toward dealing with the unexpected.
There will be massive amounts of first-hand experiences and practical knowledge recorded and preserved in social media. While much of the daily minutia and horror from the Black Plague has been mercifully forgotten over time, millions of world citizens are preserving their thoughts and experiences regarding our current global disaster in tweets and blogs and Facebook postings. The amount of personal knowledge of this pandemic and its ramifications is almost incalculable. Anyone researching the time and seeking stories and details from individuals will massive and endless amounts of recollections to explore.
A few days ago in this space I gave a brief update of what my grandchildren were up to during the time of our plague. They are staying busy trying to keep their education going at home, but they are also showing signs of boredom and fatigue and distress at not being able to run and play with their friends and enjoy the lives that they had just a few weeks ago. After posting those observations, a stranger tweeted to me that he (or she) was encouraging his (or her) grandchildren to concentrate of what they are experiencing so that they will have some clear memories to share with their grandchildren when they ask about what life was like during the Great Pandemic of 2020.
Perhaps parents who are home with the kids and trying to facilitate their continuing education could promote journaling as one more component in their daily lesson plans. Keeping a journal would help a child process what he (or she) is experiencing in these troubling times, possibly serve to generate ways to combat the boredom of being stuck at home, and provide one more very personal record of the times - one that they could pull out and review when their grandchildren start asking questions.
And if not journaling, perhaps something called video blogging - which is way beyond this old man's ken!
We are in terrible times - and we shouldn't waste them.
Social Isolate
There are pessimists among us who lament that we have brought this biological catastrophe upon ourselves through the constant and deliberate abuse of our planet, her creatures, and her resources. They proclaim that due to our long-term ravaging of our home, we will, from this day forward, be at her mercy through increased famines, floods, fires, and biological maelstroms such as the one we are currently enduring. They warn that we are entering a new era, one we clearly deserve. Welcome to the new normal.
That argument is that we are actively and greedily bringing about our own demise, and we, as a species, do not have the necessary intellect or will to survive. We have had our run as masters of the planet, and it is coming to an end.
A flip side to that bleak view is that our current situation, while admittedly terrible, is actually just a blip in history, an anomaly, an historical outlier much like the Black Plague of the Middle Ages - or the Great Flu of the early 20th century - or the Third Reich - something that we, as a species, will endure, survive, and live to see relegated to the dusty pages of history.
But if this crisis does eventually pass into history without taking us with it, what will we have learned form this very unique experience, and how will we pass that knowledge along to those who come after us?
There will be all manner of discoveries related to the pandemic - medical, scientific, sociological, you name it. New vaccines will be available as a direct result of this experience, and new medicines and medical practices will become part of our daily lives. We may begin arranging our lives differently, in ways that allow more space between individuals and more time between events, and we will likely develop more of an interest in cleaning and fighting germs. In all probability we will also begin storing more groceries and necessary items in our homes, and budgeting with an eye toward dealing with the unexpected.
There will be massive amounts of first-hand experiences and practical knowledge recorded and preserved in social media. While much of the daily minutia and horror from the Black Plague has been mercifully forgotten over time, millions of world citizens are preserving their thoughts and experiences regarding our current global disaster in tweets and blogs and Facebook postings. The amount of personal knowledge of this pandemic and its ramifications is almost incalculable. Anyone researching the time and seeking stories and details from individuals will massive and endless amounts of recollections to explore.
A few days ago in this space I gave a brief update of what my grandchildren were up to during the time of our plague. They are staying busy trying to keep their education going at home, but they are also showing signs of boredom and fatigue and distress at not being able to run and play with their friends and enjoy the lives that they had just a few weeks ago. After posting those observations, a stranger tweeted to me that he (or she) was encouraging his (or her) grandchildren to concentrate of what they are experiencing so that they will have some clear memories to share with their grandchildren when they ask about what life was like during the Great Pandemic of 2020.
Perhaps parents who are home with the kids and trying to facilitate their continuing education could promote journaling as one more component in their daily lesson plans. Keeping a journal would help a child process what he (or she) is experiencing in these troubling times, possibly serve to generate ways to combat the boredom of being stuck at home, and provide one more very personal record of the times - one that they could pull out and review when their grandchildren start asking questions.
And if not journaling, perhaps something called video blogging - which is way beyond this old man's ken!
We are in terrible times - and we shouldn't waste them.
No comments:
Post a Comment