There’s no measuring the mental and emotional damage the CoronaVirus lockdowns, both mandatory and self-imposed, have caused. We can’t put a number on it that makes for a good sound bite on the nightly news. Still, the heartbreaking stories are everywhere on the internet.
I haven't seen a loved one in almost a year. When I last saw her she was slipping, but could still do some basic chatting. She can't any more. I don't even know if she'll recognize me any more, or if I'll see her again before she dies. These people are evil.
Children on house arrest, unable to play with friends, no school to attend. Desperately lonely seniors denied visits from loved ones. People of all ages working from home, seldom leaving the house, afraid to go the gym, visit friends or take a vacation.
"Just had a family member pass away at 99. She was fine until COVID and so excited for her 100th birthday next year. Her health has been rapidly declining since April and with no light at the end of the tunnel she gave up and died in her sleep."
Experts have been warning us of the terrible price being paid: more alcoholism, more suicides, more depression, more loneliness, more domestic abuse.
"My kids are a disaster, stuck home 9 months, no friends, no school (virtual) crying almost daily over it, younger son now suffering major anxiety & OCD. We never have the news. But they know it’s not right. I am angry they can’t be kids. My small business also headed to the toilet."
The children in my neighborhood play together in the street. No masks. They are happy, enjoying childhood. You can’t recapture those years. Their parents have accepted the risk. So far, none of the families have gotten sick.
There are no easy answers. I am careful. I wear a mask to shop. I wash my hands when I get home. But this much I know. Death will come for all of us eventually. How we live until that time is what matters.
