By Rachel Wu
I have a fear of heights, but I ride roller coasters because I enjoy the speed. I never seem to learn; invariably, I find myself curled up in a ball as the cart inches towards the peak, making concerningly loud click-clack noises in the process. Then, I spend the few seconds of pure vertical dropping just praying for it to be over. Looking back, I now realize that if I’m going to go through the drops anyway for the fun, fast parts, I should probably try to enjoy them more.
We should have the same attitude towards quarantine. Of course, I don’t blame anyone for wanting to skip through quarantine, especially since it’s a period of trauma for many. Many are dealing with the loss of loved ones, an economic crisis, and social injustices. You may not want to remember this part of your life, and you shouldn’t have to. For others, though, it’s not worth it to spend this time in misery, living only for the hope of reaching some unknown date when everything returns back to normal. In fact, calling this “living” might be a stretch. Many of us seem to be trapped in this liminal state where we simply exist to wait for normalcy.
Why has the present been reduced to a mere placeholder for the future? The present is the only thing that is guaranteed, and plans almost never manifest the way we want them to. It makes sense to have hope for the future, but when our meticulously crafted plans don’t work out or aren’t as exciting as we envisioned, we’re still as unhappy as we were before. That’s why we ought to focus on what is happening right now.
A lot of us are struggling with distance learning and quarantine, but there is immense value in living in the present. As boring and awful as it may be, we are living through a very unique time in history, one that you will look back on, and there’s a lot of opportunity for personal growth and reflection. With the new block schedule and lowered amount of instructional minutes, school is less structured, and students now have more management over how they spend their time because presumably less of it is taken up by structured academic and extracurricular activities. As the pace of life slows down, take time to read more books, write about your feelings, or even just sit in silence to know yourself a bit better. Try new things! Through free resources on YouTube and the rest of the Internet, learn skills like cooking, try playing a new instrument, or experiment with different art mediums. Go on a socially distanced hike or bake that banana bread you’ve always dreamed of. Instead of killing time, actively try to enjoy life.
Because so much change is happening right now, also observe how you react and learn from it. What social causes inspire you to seek action? Does reading about a certain subject excite you to no end, even when you’re stuck at home? We’re approaching our college years, so it’s a great time to think about what our passions are and start thinking about majors and future careers, as well as what we want to ultimately accomplish with our lives. An advantage of quarantine is that it may isolate us from a lot of societal influences that normally guide our decision making. Classmates and acquaintances may not be around as much to give unsolicited comments about your hobbies and interests. You might find yourself pursuing the things you truly love, untethered by external influences.
Even before COVID-19, I have observed an unhealthy attitude at MHS. Some students often put off anything remotely enjoyable until they have taken an intimidating test, finished an important paper, or worked on their disgustingly point-heavy project. It’s admirable that students are showing this level of self-restraint when prioritizing their academics, but eventually, tests, papers, and projects become more frequent, and students end up delaying non-academic activities indefinitely because there’s always something more important to do or prepare for. Even after quarantine ends, we ought to remember to live in the present before it unknowingly slips away.
Many students are just trying to get through each day in the hope that there will be a chance to take a breath at the end of it all. During quarantine, I hope that the slower pace of life can encourage us to think introspectively and begin living in the present.