I hope the pandemic changes us for the better
While our routines will eventually return to normality, I don’t think our lives after this pandemic is over will be the same. This horrible virus, I think, has (overall, of course, there are some exceptions) brought us all together even though we are all isolated away from each other. The entire nation was clapping for the NHS, people are helping the most vulnerable, countries are helping other countries. Supermarket workers are now being called heroes after previously being considered low skilled. We are saving humanity by staying on our sofas, how strange is that?
And I think… Well, hope that humanity will truly be changed after all of this, for the better. Here is how I hope it will.
Kindness
It’s sad that it took a pandemic for us to figure out that we should all be a bit kinder to one another, but I know this will change my behaviour once I’m allowed outside again. I’ll definitely take extra care to be that little bit nicer to supermarket workers and post office workers. Of course, I was never rude to anyone but I’ll definitely make more of an effort to take an interest in how they are. And I hope all of the ‘Karens’ of the nation remember that once everything has gone back to normal, the teenager scanning your shopping was risking the health of themselves and their family so you can have your food. I know I’ll never forget it.
Our treatment of the NHS
The number of people using A&E at hospitals has decreased dramatically. So maybe going forward, perhaps the abuse of our healthcare system could decrease. Unfortunately, I doubt that people abusing the system will ever fully go away, but I’d hope seeing how much the NHS is struggling right now will perhaps get people to think a little more.
The View of Climate Change
The amount of pollution that cities are producing has gone down. The Himalaya mountains can be seen from Punjab. Residents can now see stars from their windows and it’s only been a matter of days. Animals have started coming back to the cities. I think this is something worth thinking about.
Materialism
The lockdown has put a lot of things into perspective for me and shown me what really matters. The fact of the matter is, I can live without pubs, I can live without the non-essential shops, but the one thing I’m struggling very hard with is not seeing my loved ones. That’s the only thing I care about. Keep the shops closed as long as possible, stop mass gatherings for the rest of the year. I don’t care. But as soon as the government says you can start seeing a limited amount of people outside of your household I know I’m going to cry.
Human Touch
I’d give anything to hug my boyfriend right now.
The Importance of the Internet
The vast majority of the older generations are so quick to say how bad the internet is, how it’s melting the brains of the youth. But life would be so much harder without it now. The majority of the country wouldn’t be able to work. We wouldn’t be able to see the news as quickly. We wouldn’t be able to FaceTime our loved ones. Social media has truly become a social lifeline for most people.
Travel
Let’s face it, the travel industry will be changed for a very long time and I’m unlikely I’ll be making any international trips for at least a year. Whilst I think it’s still important that we travel as so many countries rely on tourism I will be taking into account how the place I’m visiting handled this crisis. I hope that people will consider how a place cared for their staff in this crisis when deciding to travel. I feel like the places we travel will need to offer more and be more mindful to lure me back.
How We Treat Small Businesses
I absolutely love how people are saying we should support small businesses during this crisis whenever possible as it’s going to be much harder for them to survive during this pandemic. And I hope this attitude continues after everything is all over.
I’d love to know what you think, how you fell your behaviour might change after the pandemic and what your hopes for the post lockdown world are.
