What did the Pandemic do for you ?

[Silverclaws2]

Beyond all the death, what did the pandemic do for you?

Have you noticed anything about yourselves be it your health physical and/or mental that is different to how it was or maybe it's changed you in ways perhaps in positive ways?

What did the pandemic experience do for you?

 

[Toddy]

It shrunk my world, and it's never quite opened up again fully.

We were locked down hard, before the first nationwide ones. Son2 had had Hodgkin's lymphoma and was/ is immuno compromised.
No one knew just how things were going to go, so for families like mine, they played it safe.

We're fine, we've never had Covid, had every vaccination though, but my world shrunk.

I used to work everywhere from the far north of Scotland, the Western Isles, right down to the Lake District.....these days I drive less than a 1000 miles a year.

On a personal note though; I am very deaf, and it used to be that I functioned very well socially, I was quick to pick up visual clues, I kept in the conversations, etc., and I responded appropriately. The sheer lack of constant social interaction really degraded my ability to manage without hearing aids....and those don't give you your hearing back, they just enhance what's left.... I lost that quick ability to pick up clues to the conversation, and my lip reading really hasn't come back as clearly as it had been.

M

 

[Herman30]

Can´t say it changed my life much anything.

PS. Took all the shots they gave and did not have Covid.

 

[TLM]

The main event went by mostly by watching and wondering about the official response with all the pomp. Including the infamous curfews.

I had Covid later, three weeks of slightly uncomfortable feeling and lost my sense of smell, have been slowly regaining some of it.

The official response did nothing to assure me that anything better would be done in a real emergency.

 

[Woody girl]

It isolated me for almost 2 yrs, also, due to an incident I now have a fear of public transport. I still spend most of my time alone, and have noticed, when I do go into town how rude and ignorant people have become. I was trying to get past a van parked on the pavement ,double yellows dropped curb on a corner, and I was told to f off! Just because I knocked on their door, while they were sat there eating and drinking, and asked politely if they could move, so I could get past. Another pedestrian (male) behind me , shouted at me, for gods sake, get out of the way, and stop holding up the traffic woman, while I was waiting for a big enough space for me and my walker to get through, yhen he shouldered his way past in front of me, swearing at me.
What has happened to people.?
Have had many other incidents.
Yesterday witnessed a man drive into a parked car, leaving considerable damage, he just drove off. Nobody blinked. I took his number, and waited for the owner to come back, and gave him the info plus I'd photographed the car driving off, so gave him that photo. It showed the damage to his car, with the red paint all over the offside on his car. Nobody else bothered to even try to do anything. I witness or suffer rudeness to a degree I've never seen in my entire life on a daily basis.
I'm puzzled and disheartened.

 

[Silverclaws2]

It isolated me for almost 2 yrs, also, due to an incident I now have a fear of public transport. I still spend most of my time alone, and have noticed, when I do go into town how rude and ignorant people have become. I was trying to get past a van parked on the pavement ,double yellows dropped curb on a corner, and I was told to f off! Just because I knocked on their door, while they were sat there eating and drinking, and asked politely if they could move, so I could get past. Another pedestrian (male) behind me , shouted at me, for gods sake, get out of the way, and stop holding up the traffic woman, while I was waiting for a big enough space for me and my walker to get through, yhen he shouldered his way past in front of me, swearing at me.
What has happened to people.?
Have had many other incidents.
Yesterday witnessed a man drive into a parked car, leaving considerable damage, he just drove off. Nobody blinked. I took his number, and waited for the owner to come back, and gave him the info plus I'd photographed the car driving off, so gave him that photo. It showed the damage to his car, with the red paint all over the offside on his car. Nobody else bothered to even try to do anything. I witness or suffer rudeness to a degree I've never seen in my entire life on a daily basis.
I'm puzzled and disheartened.

Yeah I am seeing a lot of that, of which is not at all encouraging me to venture out from my own isolation, for immunocompromised as I am I emerged into a society I no longer recognise. I too will do my level best to not deal with public transport. In addition I still carry face masks gloves and hand cleaner.

 

[Toddy]

I can't say I've faced that, even with my deafness. I find people are genuinely kind, go out of their way to be helpful.
It only takes a moment.

I still see people wearing masks too though. They shop at quiet times, they try not to do crowds, etc., and they look so worried when at the hospitals.

I admit that I did laugh when the friend I was out with having a sit down and a blether over a coffee, said, "Oh look, disease vectors ! ", as a troup of nursery kids passed by.
I thought poor wee souls, what a world to grow up in. Gave them a wave and a smile, and they waved and smiled right back

 

[Silverclaws2]

And now with the kids it's Measles

 

[Pattree]

I can't say I've faced that, even with my deafness. I find people are genuinely kind, go out of their way to be helpful.
It only takes a moment.

Me too.
In my post war youth people were much more authoritarian and demanding than they are now.
Much better times these days

Covid generated a sense of community and cooperation in our village and beyond.

 

[Bazzworx]

We bought our first house 4 months before lockdown and we were both furloughed over the summer. It allowed us to get the house and garden in order which kept us busy all summer long. I got made redundant at the end of 2020 which I had mixed emotions about. The job was great in a lot of ways but it involved working away most weeks in the uk and abroad. After spending the 6 months at home I felt like I didn’t want to travel as much and I’ve always wanted to go self employed. Obviously after taking on a mortgage it was a bit daunting but 4 years on it’s the best thing that’s happened to me.
I think I learned a lot about myself over the pandemic and it was almost like a reset breaking the monotony of what was my normal life. Being self employed now I have several small business that keep me engaged rather than doing the same sort of thing day in day out and I’m not spending a lot of time in airports, driving or living in hotels I’m able to go home every night to my house and wife.

 

[Lean'n'mean]

I personally didn't suffer, physically or mentally, though my long held belief of not trusting governments was strongly reinforced. There is a definate before & after COVID.

Did we learn anything though ? Are we preparing for the next one ? I doubt it.

 

[Silverclaws2]

I personally didn't suffer, physically or mentally, though my long held belief of not trusting governments was strongly reinforced. There is a definate before & after COVID.

Did we learn anything though ? Are we preparing for the next one ? I doubt it.

The next one will be in ways worse as perhaps trust in authority has been eroded.

 

[GreyCat]

I nearly lost the business I had been building for 3 years after redundancy and which was just starting to do OK. I learnt to hold the government in contempt and distrust them..... they screwed small businesses like mine whilst hosing money at big corporates and public sector.

I found that the scientific method I was trained in had become just another "belief" system, hysterical extremes of "The Science" replaced rational discussion and risk management- and harmed a generation of youngsters who suffered from school and social time lost.

Society desocialised a lot, and there was gross over-reaction in some areas, e.g. vaccination of young children and keeping family away from dying relatives. Whilst significant folks in those who promolgated the restrictions didn't comply with them.

I learnt how easy it is for society to be whipped up to treat dissentors as pariahs and to believe in tokens of faith.

I determined to make sure that the way I live is a bit more resilient.

GC

 

[Woody girl]

The next one will be in ways worse as perhaps trust in authority has been eroded.

Absolutely! People no longer trust what they are told by those in authority. Many will(and many did) refuse any jabs, and refuse to isolate or stay at home as we had to last time. As it was, many broke the rules, and didn't care one jot. I came across many who refused to wear masks or keep to the prescribed distance or one way system in the shops., usualy all 3 at once. Even came across a couple in my local woods, who were lost, walked right up to me and tried to hand me a map to point out where they were. On asking where they were from, it seems they had driven from the coast, over 20 miles away, where there was plenty of space to walk, when we had travel restrictions.
I pointed this out, I got ",we don't care, ".....so I sent them in the opposite direction to their car. Hee hee hee
They had a loooong walk back to their car. (At least 10 miles once they found out they were headed in the wrong direction., as they were already 8 miles away from it.
Norty! , but I felt that if they could show such contempt for others and rules, they deserved it.
The government did not lock down the borders, soon enough, and have actualy admitted it in some report or other.

 

[Silverclaws2]

Absolutely! People no longer trust what they are told by those in authority. Many will(and many did) refuse any jabs, and refuse to isolate or stay at home as we had to last time. As it was, many broke the rules, and didn't care one jot. I came across many who refused to wear masks or keep to the prescribed distance or one way system in the shops., usualy all 3 at once. Even came across a couple in my local woods, who were lost, walked right up to me and tried to hand me a map to point out where they were. On asking where they were from, it seems they had driven from the coast, over 20 miles away, where there was plenty of space to walk, when we had travel restrictions.
I pointed this out, I got ",we don't care, ".....so I sent them in the opposite direction to their car. Hee hee hee
They had a loooong walk back to their car. (At least 10 miles once they found out they were headed in the wrong direction., as they were already 8 miles away from it.
Norty! , but I felt that if they could show such contempt for others and rules, they deserved it.
The government did not lock down the borders, soon enough, and have actualy admitted it in some report or other.

Aye you don't care about the health and safety of the people you come into contact with.

 

[Herman30]

Thankfully there were no lock-down where I live.

 

[Falstaff]

I don't think I can bear to think about it even now. It cost me so much, emotionally, mentally, financially, socially, so physically catching covid itself was pretty much a minor non-event. My circumstances have changed hugely and permanently.
I'm trying to build a new life but it's not easy.

 

[Woody girl]

Aye you don't care about the health and safety of the people you come into contact with.

Do you mean they don't care, rather than you don't care?
I certainly cared and had to watch my best friend nurse her dying husband throughout it all, totaly alone. I couldn't even go and help her out. She also had to try and move from her beloved family home to a bungalow where it was easier to cope with and arrange adaptions such as remodeling a bathroom, ramps, wheelchairs etc while coping with lockdown 24 hours before they were due to move. Everything packed and ready to go..phone call in the morning, sorry can't do it due to restrictions. How she coped, I have no idea! And despite all her woes, she still ordered items i couldnt get localy but needed, each week from tescos, and I had to go up to her house, late in the evening, and pick up my box of groceries .
She is my hero.....or should I say heroine. She still gets a weekly bunch of flowers from me even now.

 

[Nomis]

The pandemic didn’t just shake the world—it exposed it. It showed how effortlessly entire populations can be brought to heel with fear and propaganda, how the illusion of safety can be weaponized to enforce control. The global script played out like clockwork, and most followed without question—obedient, compliant, and blind. Those of us they mockingly call “useless eaters” were handed a bitter gift: a glimpse behind the curtain.

Now, as the system gears up for its next act, let’s hope fewer people play the role of docile sheep. What we need are more sheepdogs—awake, alert, and unafraid to bare their teeth when the wolves come circling again.

Once bitten twice shy.....

 

[Silverclaws2]

I

Do you mean they don't care, rather than you don't care?
I certainly cared and had to watch my best friend nurse her dying husband throughout it all, totaly alone. I couldn't even go and help her out. She also had to try and move from her beloved family home to a bungalow where it was easier to cope with and arrange adaptions such as remodeling a bathroom, ramps, wheelchairs etc while coping with lockdown 24 hours before they were due to move. Everything packed and ready to go..phone call in the morning, sorry can't do it due to restrictions. How she coped, I have no idea! And despite all her woes, she still ordered items i couldnt get localy but needed, each week from tescos, and I had to go up to her house, late in the evening, and pick up my box of groceries .
She is my hero.....or should I say heroine. She still gets a weekly bunch of flowers from me even now.

I was referencing the folks you met in the woods, of whom were examples of many I came across on the weekly shopping run - of which may I add was pre planned with precison to spend as little time as possible out amongst folk.