What I learnt under lockdown (i)
Unless you live under a cave, there is a pandemic that has necessitated various levels of lockdowns and restrictions to movement in several cities the world over. In Accra, Ghana, the numbers were not exactly as staggering. Certainly not, when compared to the likes of Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom. Nonetheless, to curb the spread, a partial lockdown was decreed. Seeing as I was not an essential services provider, I had no business leaving my home. During this period, I took some time to reflect on life and here are four things I learned;
The importance of family time
We have a bigger household size than the normal nuclear family, and during the lockdown, everyone was home from sunup to sundown. Whiles we practiced some level of social distancing, we mostly spent our evenings on the corridor, enjoying some fresh air amidst chatting and the sharing of jokes. Calls from other siblings and extended family came streaming in, whiles we had to constantly reassure friends and other colleagues we were safe. All told, we took the time to bond tighter as a family, and that certainly warms the heart.
Fake news is real
It is difficult to determine what motivates people to cook and share misinformation, especially in times like these. The amount of false/unconfirmed statistics and remedies was simply overwhelming. I had personally decided to ignore as much of it as possible, especially on WhatsApp. For the most part, I did that to disarm any fears that might be lurking in the dark, you know. That said, I followed a few trusted media outlets that provided credible updates on the situation.
The world is a really small place
As recently as February 2020, I was pretty confident the virus will not spread as widely as others have predicted/feared. Pardon me for being a tad foolhardy. All of a sudden the virus has found a presence in almost every country, and the cases keep rising by the day. In a matter of months, the virus had become everyone’s problem. Schools were the first to take a hit. Businesses small and big alike have been equally affected. Workers have been laid off, and several livelihoods affected all of a sudden. What we all thought was a small issue in faraway China has had a ripple effect all over the world.
Humanity is not a lost cause.
Yes, there are still bad people out there. But yes, there are an awful lot of good, kindhearted, generous people out there too. Just that mud sticks, you know. From people taking voluntary pay cuts to people leading campaigns for donations and charity, altruism was suddenly the name of the game. We’re mostly concerned about the welfare of our friends, colleagues, neighbours and humanity in general.
So there you have it. The first part of my post what I learnt under lockdown. How did you fare under lockdown too?
