Gianluca, 18, London UK
‘What’s everyone doing tonight?’
I have probably heard this question every single night from my mum. I know, she’s pretty funny! But in all seriousness, the repetition of the sarcastic question is actually representative of life in lockdown so far. Everything repeats itself, simply as there is such an abundance of time, and general lack of opportunity to expand on the activities that are on offer.
However, unlike my hilarious mother, I seem to be completely fine with filling my days with Netflix and PlayStation and FaceTiming friends. For me, this period of time, with the absence of social and academic responsibilities, has been the most relaxing time for me since the summer of GCSEs. It feels great. Would I rather be able to go out at night, or be having pints or Pimms in the garden of my favourite pubs? Without a doubt. But in the grand scheme of things, I feel a surprising comfort with the situation.
I can imagine what you are thinking right now reading this; ‘This guy sounds selfish, all he cares about is pubs and himself!’ Fret not, I think that aside from all of our personal setbacks and separation from things we love, there are far greater issues that concern us, not just the closure of Duke on the Green. Perhaps the most intimidating factor of this pandemic is the pressure that will be put on our generation to return the world to a state of ambition for prosperity as opposed to the tentativeness to advance that has galvanised societies over the past few months.
Personally, I don’t think the world will ever be the same. Technology has endured a colossal test during this period, I know this as I hear shrieks of ‘WHY IS THE WIFI NOT WORKING’. Despite this, the way companies and schools are able to stay in tact through video calls and other methods is impressive, but it makes me question: what is the point in people commuting to offices everyday if they are as capable to carry out their jobs from home? It is for reasons like this that I am interested to see how our generation will adapt during and after the covid-19 pandemic. I won’t pretend like I have any predictions, but for now i am content with seeing how we end up as a result of the pandemic.