Is the end in sight? Not really… It would be nice if it was but if we have learnt anything, it’s we don’t know what’s next. I had my first vaccine dose (Oxford/Astra Zeneca) and many others have, supposedly already reducing cases and hospital admissions. Of course it’s hard to trust the rhetoric from the Government let alone the actual stats they give us but we need a little hope.
I do believe will power can help people get better from illness or just generally get ourselves in better shape. Thinking about getting well helps drive your body to get well, placebos have been proven to work so it’s essentially the same deal.
In an ideal situation, all people get the vaccine and we see Covid-19 die out within a number of months. The reality is, there may be a new strain which requires more restrictions and different vaccines or the vaccines just don’t work. I am pro-vaccination, for me the fact that smallpox and polio have been eradicated is proof enough, let alone the many other diseases that can be prevented permanently or temporarily due to vaccination. I am also aware that the vaccine I had hasn’t been trialled as long as most medications are, but life isn’t worth living without some risks and I’d rather try it so we can move forward.
After having a generally terrible time last year I have started 2021 with a more positive attitude, and a real need and desire to change. I focus on what I can do in lock down, rather than obsessing over what is lost due to it. I have been getting healthier by drinking alcohol significantly less (almost none right now) exercising regularly and eating better. I feel great for doing so.
I am making plans for things to do this year, I’m just being realistic about the likelihood that things will change or a plan may have to have its dates moved but that’s ok. Having something to look forward to, something meaningful to do and some hope I can do things I used to is a good enough motivator for now even if more restrictions may come and cause delays. I need a reason to get out of bed some days and even a distant dream is better than giving up.
I would love to book a holiday with confidence it’ll happen, I’d love to have gigs lined up to play and I’d even love to go into work but I know all of those things may not be options for a while. I do believe that being pessimistic is better to avoid disappointment but we all need a little hope for the future.
When I started writing these “Coronapocalypse” pieces I didn’t think I’d still be doing it a year on, but that was kind of the point… I didn’t know what was happening, didn’t know all the consequences and we still don’t even though we know how it feels by now.
Not many franchises run to 14 parts, Godzilla springs to mind (over 50 fims), is Covid-19 the real monster destroying our cities? Decimating our population, Godzilla was actually the hero usually, destroying other giant destructive creatures like Mothra. Godzilla didn’t seem to concern himself with collateral damage though.
Maybe a pandemic like this was inevitable, maybe it is a result of human’s actions (and inaction) or maybe it was just a matter of time till nature created something that fucked us up. Godzilla and many of his enemies were results of radioactivity, it was created in a time when nuclear power and weapons were new and terrifying, they still are. Have we fuelled an ancient beast or is this a modern problem?
Whether Covid-19 is Godzilla or Mothra is irrelevant to most people right now, it’s no hero and it isn’t a malevolent monster. Covid-19 doesn’t care or think, it survives, it feeds and it kills. Covid-19 is scarier than a giant lizard because we can’t see it, we may not even know if we have it, and like the monsters in films we’re still trying to figure out how to kill it, or at least drive it back into the depths of the ocean so we can have a break. Like any classic monster/disaster movie, our defences were poorly built and it was inevitable it’d smash them down. Propping a chair against a door never stopped a Zombie Hoard, closing the window never stopped the boogieman.
In all likelihood, assuming we can stop Covid-19, there will be another virus and pandemic, maybe something worse. It’s only a matter of time till something comes along, I hope I don’t see one again. What will we learn from this monster battle? How do we keep the monsters underground so they don’t crush our communities? We need to change our habits, I don’t know if some guy eating a bat in China is the cause or not but we do know our behaviour has definitely spread it if not caused it.
I’ve talked about the positive outcomes of this situation, every disaster does have a few. We’ve reassessed the way we work, we’ve learned to appreciate some things in life we took for granted (going out for a beer with mates!) we’ve started to take a closer look at hygiene and what we eat, we have learned our limits in a new scenario and much more both universal and personal.
I’ve begun a big life change which is currently in its early stages but I feel good about it. The plans I have aren’t new but I am tackling them in a different way for some different reasons. I have and will continue to reassess my values in my life day to day and on a bigger scale.
We all hope the end is nigh, the end of the apocalypse rather than the apocalypse being the end, which this has felt like at a few points. Like any bad experience we need to learn from it and use what we learn. It has changed life for most of the world in one way or another…
See you when this shit is finally over.
The Everyday Behaviour Analyst 
I’ll definitely visit this blog again, thank you 🙂
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