As Melbourne - the city in which I live goes into its fifth lockdown it forces us to once again take stock of our surroundings. If time is the only positive side effect of these lockdowns. What do you want to do with yours?
On a daily basis we are fully occupied by jobs, the people we’re surrounded by and what we need to get done on any given day. The stress of lockdown forces us to consider how we feel about these commitments. I find myself dissecting each interaction, even though I know it’s a pointless endeavour as no two people will experience a situation in the same way. I know that it is the additional time that has opened me up to this deeper examination.
"Have we rediscovered personal priorities and choices?"
Is the extra time in Lockdown a challenge or a gift?
Being forced to work from home, or for some not working at all, has given us all additional time in some capacity. Regardless of what you do with this time, it seems that something has shifted for every individual. We, have an opportunity to look at ourselves and ask - Is this what my life should look like? So many of my colleagues and clients have decided to change jobs, take a brave step out on their own, or even take some time for their families. Have we rediscovered personal priorities and choices?
For the most part, people around me are in stable situations, me included. We all take our computers home, restock the fridge and get on with what we hope is a few days dressed in activewear and pyjamas. (Actually, that could just be me.) We carry on, we resist. But, I wonder how it feels to be one of the many who cannot work, have lost their jobs, or worse their home. I wonder how we can level this experience in some way. What is really needed, from loved ones, neighbours, strangers and the government? Is it money, understanding or something completely unconsidered?
I know what you might be thinking, who is this person to ask these questions, typing in a warm home on a laptop. I get it, I am very much one of the lucky ones, and now more than ever I do not take this for granted. But, it doesn’t mean I am not thinking about those less fortunate. Those who, with the right conversations could maybe get the basic things they need for lockdowns to have a positive impact on their lives. We have all been given the same amount of time at home. What resources we have can determine what we do with it.
For example (hear me out,) online courses have been getting cheaper and cheaper, some for as little as $9 and an internet connection. These small things have helped to alter the perspective of lockdown for many. It focuses time on a goal and can give a positive to concentrate on. What if we made the internet free for a while, allowing everyone, regardless of their societal position to have the same learning opportunities. Yes, some would use it for Netflix but what if 3 % (hopefully more but even 3% is a lot of people) found themselves learning something that gave them the inspiration to take on a new challenge. That would be 3% of people looking forward instead of focussing on just the burden of bill paying, homeschooling and survival.
This is very unlikely the answer, I am not in politics and nor would I want to be, but I do think we are taking a very narrow view with money as the only focal point, there is more on the table if everyone could get along long enough to maybe for a second put themselves in the shoes of someone who has been struggling for years.
Time isn’t money, time is opportunity.
The time we have been given with the right viewpoint is the time many of us have never had before, we all jump from school to work, then from job to job. How many of us have ever had days at home to do anything we want?
"If we focus on the time in the situation, it is the only thing that we have all gained."
I have found that even in my daily exercise time the space on the roads and pavements, has shown me things in nature that I didn’t notice before. I want to make the most of this time - so I am paying more attention in some way. I find conversations with people on the phone are richer even though they are more casual, a combination I’d not thought possible especially in the professional world. But the calls are longer, we take more time to check in with one and other. There is something warm and relaxed in each interaction. Nothing can be all bad. If you had all the time in the world, what would you do with it? Can you start that right now?
We individually are all experiencing the same restrictions, the impact is very clearly felt differently depending on your economic situation but there is a togetherness that is undeniable. It makes me believe that there has to be good that can come from this new (hopefully temporary) way of life. I just hope everyone can have an opportunity to look up, look in and find one thing that makes their own isolation experience a little better. If we focus on the time in the situation, it is the only thing that we have all gained. When someone asks you what you did in lockdown, don’t you want to have a good story? Isn’t there something more you could say about your time?
