Life in lockdown

From his opening sentence, Tom Jorgensen (Year 8) establishes an immediate relationship with his reader articulating the fatigue that so many of us feel as a result of the relentless COVID-19 news cycle. He offers an alternative narrative to the 'conflict, fear and rage' dominating the headlines.

I sigh and switch off my news feed. It’s a steady and toxic cascade of bad news and vitriol. I see politicians shouting, NBA players walking out on games, bushfires raging, overwhelmed hospital wards, looting and rioting in cities, graphs of death tallies rising upward, policemen shooting citizens.

It leaves me feeling overwhelmed and concerned for humankind. We’re taught that the best way to deal with challenging issues is to explore all options, seek expert advice and work together to craft a solution.  But this doesn’t seem to play out in the real world. The media tells us a different story.

Hope can be found if the angry voices and images are dialled down, and learnings dialled up. Never has a vaccine for any virus been discovered so quickly. The cooperation and hard work of the scientists is to be admired. Government lockdowns and social distancing measures, although tiresome and economically damaging, are working to slow and even stop the spread of infection.

Sure, I miss playing basketball, seeing my friends, APS sport, going out to restaurants and the footy. I miss going on holidays and hanging out with people.  But I understand why the lockdown was put in place and have learnt to appreciate and get used to being at home more, learning in a different way and connecting with people in a different way. Taking time out to live a slower paced life, a different life, in the short term. I don’t feel outraged or personally hard done by.

I know that everyone is in a different boat – and not all students may feel the same way – but the difference in what the media presents to me and my reality makes me realise that there is positivity beyond what we see in the news. It is up to everyone to choose to take the best of what a situation offers.

Tom Jorgensen
Year 8