Opinion piece
It’s been two years since Aotearoa started its first – but certainly not its only – Level Four lockdown. And boy, what a two years it’s been. We’re all feeling the Covid-19 fatigue but, as Nicky Dewe points out, it’s important to celebrate the wins along the way… and one of the wins is how much smarter we all are now!
Last week marked two years since the start of Lockdown 2020. That strange and unforgettable time that kicked off the long and winding road of our Covid journey.
No matter what else happens in my life, my mind will never erase the sight of a sombre JA standing at the podium and revealing that we’d all be spending a lot more time at home.
I believe that we’re all actually much smarter than we used to be. In fact, I’ll go as far as to say that we’re practically scientists.
How did we even comprehend that crazy scene! So much has happened since then and I’m not exaggerating when I say that much of it hasn’t been great.
It’s easy to feel disheartened some days, and worry that we’ve all changed forever in a bad way. But even as we stand here, battle weary and brain fogged, I’ll like to posit something positive.
I believe that we’re all actually much smarter than we used to be. In fact, I’ll go as far as to say that we’re practically scientists.
Over the past 24 months we’ve learned so many facts and figures, dozens of new concepts and many a long and technical term. Some of it felt designed to make us feel stupid, but some of it has almost certainly sunk in.
Let’s take a moment to celebrate how clever we’ve unwillingly become.
All The New Things We Now Know, Thanks To Covid
How to spell ‘unprecedented’
As case numbers climbed around the globe, so too did emails featuring this once seldom used word. But we had to get it right because how else to start a message to colleagues or clients without this trusty descriptor for our terrifying new situation? Its light shone bright to begin with but then, like many of us who had busy jobs at the beginning of 2020, it soon got made redundant. Still, now we know. Let’s hope we never have the same call for it again.
Tell me how many epidemiologists you’d heard of before Covid kicked off?
Epidemiology
Tell me how many epidemiologists you’d heard of before Covid kicked off? These days, if you want to become a household name your quickest route is not through reality TV or social media but to bash out a degree in infectious diseases. Especially if your name is Michael. These folks better watch their backs though. Any one of us could pass an entry level exam at this point. We get it, and we’re not afraid to throw out some of your fancy terms in casual convos with family and friends.
R-rates
Case in point: R rates. Did you ever dream that you’d be so smart about statistical values? You don’t need to be wearing a white coat before you start peppering your chat with r-rates and oh, sure, they try to make it sound complex but we know that low is good and high is bad. So you see, we’re nailing it.
The Greek Alphabet
Consider yourself a scholar of ancient languages because you’re now aware of at least two letters of the Greek Alphabet. It’s been around for millennia, with most of us paying it no mind at all, but suddenly here we all are, getting to grips with it. Personally I hope we never hear of another letter but still, big ups to us for becoming bilingual.
Were you previously aware of how far a stick could go up your nostril?
Our own noses
Were you previously aware of how far a stick could go up your nostril? Now, no sooner do you feel a scratch in the throat than you’re feverishly extracting the contents of your own nose and dipping it in a test tube. Regularly conducting medical research was never in your repertoire before. Take a bow.
Social distancing
Not so much a science, as an art. Finding new and inventive ways to fraternise without breathing on our friends is a delicate dance that we are all now skilled at. A triumph of the human spirit to constantly be estimating a two metre gap and shouting at each other through pieces of cloth.
A triumph of the human spirit to constantly be estimating a two metre gap and shouting at each other through pieces of cloth.
Interpreting charts, diagrams, rules and regulations
How much mental arithmetic do we now do all the time? I’m talking dates of exposure, days of incubation, chains of transmission, when to test, how long to isolate, how many people to have at your gathering…. These are constant challenges that we’ve never had on our radar before. But look how good we’ve become about processing all this data on the daily. No wonder we feel so overwhelmed.
So when you wake up next and feel like you can’t take on another thing, try to remember how far you’ve come. We’ve levelled up on so many fronts it’s no wonder we’re sick of learning new stuff. Try to take a moment to appreciate your now Mensa-level intellect. Yes, you’re tired but you’re also a frickin’ genius.
