On February 16, 2020, a pedestrian opened his arms and enjoyed the sunshine in Chu Qing after the snow. China Youth Daily Lu Chong/photo
Last year, when the epidemic just happened, few people could have imagined that COVID-19 would have such a serious impact on human society. Therefore, when people begin to predict their life trajectory after the epidemic, they often have concrete and realistic expectations, but they don't realize that these expectations will gradually become vague and illusory in the endless waiting.
People who have experienced the SARS epidemic are likely to think from experience that eradicating the epidemic is only a "small goal" that is not far away from us. However, as COVID-19 raged around the world, many varieties with stronger spreading power appeared one after another, and the optimistic forecast was dashed. In China, the people of the whole country are united as one, and through strong prevention and control measures, the local epidemic has been successfully suppressed within the controllable range of normalized prevention and control, and a relatively normal life has been restored for most people in China. However, if the global epidemic ends and human society returns to the previous "normality" as the standard, no one dares to judge how long we have to wait.
When many people can't reunite with their families in early 2020, their wish may just be "to take their families abroad for a trip after the epidemic". If we find someone who was so eager at that time and ask him when he thinks this goal can be achieved, he may think that it only needs to wait until summer. However, with the passage of time, people's speculation about the "end of the epidemic" has changed from 2020 to 202 1, and from 202 1 to 2022 ... When we are on the runway of time, the "finish line" we want to reach seems to be running with us. Some people compare waiting for the end of the epidemic to "waiting for Godot" in combination with literary works. This subtle metaphor not only reflects that many people are actually trapped in this waiting situation, but also reminds us that if we pin all our hopes for achieving our goal on "the end of the epidemic", it will be difficult to restore health and normal life.
If we want to rank the negative impact caused by the epidemic, the article "Completely disrupted people's life planning" may rank second, second only to the infection and death directly caused by the virus. Social epidemic prevention, travel ban, home office, limited social entertainment, shrinking industry ... all of these make many people's lives lose their rhythm and focus at once, so they feel at a loss. Facing the blow, it is a natural psychological mechanism to pin our hopes on the "end of the epidemic". This reaction is normal, but it is not necessarily the best choice to get life back to normal. Compared with waiting in anxiety, it is not only beneficial to maintain mental health in adversity, but also more feasible than "waiting for Godot" to act now and actively seek opportunities and methods within the scope of conditions to find the rhythm of life for yourself.
For example, if your wish is to travel abroad, it is better to set up a "travel fund" and save money while working to get a better travel experience. At the same time, for you who like to travel, it may be an opportunity to discover more interesting attractions hidden around you. If your wish is to jump ship, but you dare not jump ship easily because of the industry uncertainty brought by the epidemic, you can also "save your strength and prepare for war" from now on. After all, whether you are ready to hand in your resignation or not, the truth that "skills don't overwhelm people" will never change.
Of course, not all plans disrupted by the epidemic will necessarily have an easy "alternative". For those international students who have to face a "gap year" for one or several years because of the travel ban, or those who are unemployed because of the epidemic, any words of comfort are inevitably pale and powerless. However, no matter how desperate the immediate adversity is, only by adjusting their own state can people in it have a chance to find the hope of "breaking the game" Putting all the hopes of getting out of trouble on the "end of the epidemic" is tantamount to temporarily giving up on yourself before the end of the epidemic, which is by no means the value that people in adversity really need.
In the face of a sudden epidemic, individuals often appear passive and powerless. It is impossible for ordinary people to change the epidemic situation according to their own subjective wishes. However, not being able to change the world does not mean being powerless. We can always choose our own way to face the world and life. By actively changing ourselves, we can face the reality better and return to life better. And from an idealistic point of view, who can say that the world can't change because of this?