Got those Pandemic Blues

Since the beginning of the Stage 4 lock-down in Victoria, Australia, my general outlook about myself and the world has changed, not necessarily for the better. As a child suffering from a mild form of claustrophobia... whenever this feeling came over me, I'd close my eyes and count to ten. Woke this morning with that same closing-in feeling so remembered to count, and surprisingly, it worked. Depression can be a serious matter, though luckily, my mother and I skipped that particular gene, while the rest of the family can experience that dark visitor.

Back in the day, when I would go on a whiny-what-about-me-diatribe, complaining about my life, and that the basic human condition is basically absurd, (my existentialism period) my ex-wife would retort: “Life could be worse! You could be in Syria dodging bombs or living on the streets of LA in a tent.” If I wasn't too full of myself at that moment, this strategy would most often work, and life carries on.

Indeed, true depression, as mentioned, can be a serious matter. It is a form of mental illness. In fact, 3 million Australians are currently on antidepressants. That means 1 in 8 people in this country experience depression. What is more startling is 100,000 children are on these drugs as well. I remember being bummed out as a kid, but I never took drugs to get over my girlfriend. Sarcasm aside, these statistics are surprising, but considering the pressures of living in a techno-driven society and the current job market, taking anxiety medicine is the least one can do to alleviate social pressure pains.

As a result of this pandemic forced to lock-down and losing money, and worse, facing evictions because you can't pay the rent, issues such as depression, alcoholism, drug use, and domestic violence is the most certainly on the rise.

What this pandemic has revealed that many governments worldwide do not care about the people, but only themselves and their donors. Maintaining the 1% rather than spend money for the people is apparent, and the same right-wing arguments are put forth: “Unemployment benefits make people lazy, and they don't want to work anymore.” Recent studies have revealed this to be an outright lie. Our nature demands we do productive activities and contribute to society. A meaningful life is a productive one. In times of hardship, a handout will keep one afloat until work is possible again. Don't believe this propaganda.

Overall, my personal anxiety is the lack of personal contact with my fellow human beings. Going to work and talking with your colleagues. Having a long lunch with an old friend. The hustle and bustle of public transport, and pleasures of live music while sipping a good drink. The active silence of the library, sitting amongst readers, writers, and students. These may seem to be trivial, but these are the things I miss since the beginning of the pandemic.

Okay yea, I've got the pandemic blues, but I think about my ex-wife's line, “It could be worse.” And once again, I count to ten.