Self Isolation.

Self Isolation

Its a term that im sure everyone reading this will be all to familiar with, and terrified by the sight of it. As I write this, the date is April 2^nd 2020, and the world has just went to utter shit. COVID19 is ravaging through the world, destroying health care systems and at this point has claimed the lives of almost 50,000 people across our tiny, fragile globe. The scariest part is the fact that its not even truly begun here in the UK yet, especially in sunny ol' Scotland. Normal day to day life as we know it, for the most part, has halted to a stop. Shops, restaurants and bars have been forced to close. Social distancing is the new norm, as im sure it will be for a time yet. Only leaving the house for essential supplies and one form of exercise. And like I said this is only the beginning. Who knows what the UK will look like in another months time.

There is so much irony in it all though. Ten years this current government has been cutting our National health services budgets, and this has really bitten us in the arse now. Not enough PPE, nurses and doctors, ventilators etc. No one could have predicted how this virus would spread and the effect it would have, but if you have a properly funded health care system then at least you are prepared in case of the worst. And quite simply we are not. And the ironic part is that now members of parliament are applauding the NHS workers across the country, quite literally. After years of ruining the system they have the audacity to stand and applaud “our heroes” in their words. Our heroes whose livelihoods they have been sucking the life force from for years. It is fucking disgusting. We are meant to have one of, if not the best, health care systems in the world, and we have nurses having to re-use gloves and other PPE because there is none available. They are putting their own lives at risk to help save us.

So that is where we are at as of the time of writing this. Sat in my room for the 8^th day in a row, wondering how the world is going to look this time next year. Will I even be here, will my family be here, these are the questions we are now all forced to face. Perhaps it was ignorance or just plain naivety, but I never could have imagined having to face these kind of questions in my life time. I thought the world was too advanced, that our western society would never face turmoil on this scale again. I think to the previous generations, my granddad fighting wars in Malaysia, my parents with Falklands and the troubles across the water in Ireland. There's a good chance this will be my generations defining moment, the lessons we hopefully get a chance to teach our grandchildren will be centred around this crisis.

And yet we have proven already that we are not worthy of that. That we are at our core, selfish and panic driven. Supermarket shelves have been empty for weeks, people panic buying toilet rolls, dried food and meat etc. as if we all have a panic bunker in our basements like some dystopian fallout centred tale. And while we all sit in our forts made of Andrex super soft, there is folk in our communities struggling to get the basics to live. Elderly that cant get the necessary supplies to live, mothers that kind find nappies or baby formula, sick and vulnerable who cant get their medications due to shortages. This needs to change, we need to get past this, help our neighbours and lift each other up.

This could very possibly be our war, our disaster that ever generation seems to face against. Instead of trenches, we have empty shelves and the ever constricting walls of our homes.

There is hope though, not necessarily in our governments and politicians, but in the people around us trying to make a difference. The NHS asked for 200,000 volunteers to help fight this crisis, they have had close to half a million applicants. Businesses making up care packages for the vulnerable and elderly, neighbourhoods standing at their windows and balcony's singing songs and trying to raise spirits. The crisis has brought out the worst in humanity, but thankfully also the best, and in my eyes the latter outweighs the former.

I cant say what the world that is left will look like after this, I don't think a lot of people can. But I hope and pray that we make it out the other side as a more empathetic, and connected society. Weeks of isolation should hopefully bring us all together at the end of this.

Mandy Hales said “ A season of loneliness and isolation is when the caterpillar gets its wings.”

Here's hoping Mandy.