Isolation can be unbearably boring. With no social interaction allowed, “stay at home and be lazy,” is the new motto of the modern world. While quite a lot of us probably have begged to just stay at home all the time and lounge around, the reality of this once distant dream is quite different.
With online schooling up and running for most people, life has gotten a little more zesty, but let’s be honest, the appeal of being at home all the time was because there would be no school. No learning, no problem solving, no sitting listening or behaving necessary. Just complete and utterly mind-numbing simplicity. The goal was brain cell-loss through Netflix binges and eating our way through potato chip bags and chocolate bars.
But dreams change with the times and we are nothing, if not a resilient bunch, if we’re stubborn enough to push through life’s trials everyday. That being said, social distancing is still not fun. No drama, gossip, or emotional rollercoasters for us to experience or simply watch from the sidelines. At least, not in person. I mean, what’s television for? That was a rhetorical question if you couldn’t tell, and if you answered ‘entertainment,’ then congratulations, you’ve been paying attention.
But TV really isn’t the answer. We are human beings and as much as we think we might be fine handling ourselves by ourselves, the truth is that we’re probably wrong. And if we want to be REALLY honest, most of us have probably never felt quite so lonely as we do now. That isn’t to say that we are actually lonely or even physically alone. But the world is slowing down and being forced to adjust and because of that, so are we.
We all know talking to a friend on the phone will never be the same thing as talking to them in person. Spending time with family is good but the word ‘family’ implies there will likely be a limit to the comfort and enjoyment in that, all by itself. If any little sibling gets bored enough (which, really isn’t much), they will use all the knowledge they have gained through the years of your pet peeves and dislikes to push every single button you have. Over and over again. Sounds fun, right? Well, just remember that love and hate are often put in the same boat, so who knows? Maybe you’ll be telling the cops your little sister just had to go cause she wouldn’t share her pink tiara with you anymore and that’s just plain unfair.
Siblings aside, the internet is our friend (usually) and offers us a look into the world we don’t often have easy access to. I can’t even explain how disappointing it is to realize the average American knows almost nothing about the world except what fits inside their bubble.
But without even access to those little bubbles, what’s left? Bubble bursting, that’s what. Or rather, bubble expansion. But that’s not as fun to say. It’s pretty easy too, actually.
Do you read the news? My guess is no, but if yes, then I commend you. You’ve made an effort. The idea of reading doesn’t appeal to a lot of people, but the best part about the news is that it comes in a million formats. Including social media.
If you really can’t be bothered to read it or watch it then follow some accounts on instagram, try and get yourself to flip through them every now and then. Most new sites have twitter, instagram, and facebook accounts.
That’s a really good step one for most people. But if you happen to be tuned in to the news already, then double check your bias. What you’re hearing and seeing on the news may very well be influenced by some higher-up’s opinion. In fact, I can almost guarantee it. See what side your preferred news station leaned towards. It may not be apparent in every story you read but ideology influences a lot, especially when it comes to the portrayal of politics and responses to international crises. Pretty relevant at the moment, right?
Okay, so most of this sounds like me being a news-snob. Trust me when I say I too am working on being more involved in the news but I can’t stress enough how we need to open ourselves to the rest of the world, not literally at the moment, but most definitely intellectually. I promise you the people in the rest of the world have an opinion on the U.S. so it’s about time we tried to have one about them too. Bad or good, we should understand the world we were born into. It is the only way we will ever be prepared to handle it when we have our own homes and families to worry about.
I encourage anyone and everyone who is willing to get into something new. Read more books, try a new genre; watch, read, or swipe through the news; look for new perspectives on something you believe. Find something different than you. Being able to be a part of something completely opposite opens doors you probably don’t even know are there. Watch movies you’ve never heard of. Watch movies that people have bashed for being controversial or aggressively opinionated. If you want to watch or read something you already know you love, think about the conflict that is making the story worth reading and try to understand where the villain is coming from. Why do they think the way they do? How do they make sense to themselves when they’re so obviously in the wrong? Or are they? Once you can do that, then you can call yourself an open-minded person. You’ll not only be that much more capable of helping yourself, but also others.
