HAVE WHAT WE’VE LIVED THROUGH BEEN FORGOTTEN?

While reflecting on what we've lived through, what happened in 2020, a relatively recent history, passed before my eyes like a film reel. We used to hear such stories in fairy tales, or watch them in science fiction movies. Now, witnessing the reality of it, living in the scenario, experiencing the reality of a film in which we play the lead role can be described as a different experience.

Did the pandemic really start in China? When it began to be experienced in China, watching it from a distance, it was perceived as just another pandemic, like any other global outbreak. But with the appearance of cases in our country from April onwards, the seriousness of the situation gradually became clear. An incredible rise in cases was observed in all European countries, especially Italy, and we were confronted with the reality. With the entrance of the coronavirus into our lives, we experienced a first in world history. The entire world stopped at once.

We were living through a first in world history. When the school time arrived and the concerns about what to do led to the conclusion that it couldn’t continue, we entered a second shockwave and locked ourselves in our homes. As we tried to understand what was happening, we could only understand what we saw on television in our little world at home. Of course, there were messages exchanged between friends, various scenarios, videos, and a thousand kinds of news from everywhere. Our minds were in a complete mess. What was happening? Was the end of the world approaching? We already knew about global warming threats, environmental pollution, etc., but this was a new, unfamiliar topic, and when we locked ourselves indoors, we got lost among all these scenarios for a while.

As time passed, we became concerned about how to spend quality time at home. We were trying different recipes, watching series and movies, reading books, trying to tolerate what we saw on TV. In fact, we were fighting for survival in a way, experiencing inner conflict, going back and forth between our subconscious and the real world, but we tried not to show it.

I say inner conflict because as we spent time at home and dedicated time to things we had no time for before, we were also able to create an opportunity to breathe and pause amidst all the negativity. We could chat with friends we hadn't seen in a while through the internet, schedule time for series, watch movies we hadn't seen, make time for exercise, and maybe even pick up the musical instrument we hadn’t had time for in a long time. Some of us were also experiencing the different taste of working from home. We had to plan the day because we were confused about what to do.

Amid all these fluctuations, we were going back and forth between what we were doing and the real reality of what was happening in the world. We had never thought so much about our health before, vitamins and supplements were never so researched, because everyone was saying something, and we were naturally trying to protect ourselves from something unknown. Many of us were probably wearing masks for the first time. It was so difficult to breathe and try to do something with a mask on. But when one is squeezed between necessities, one has to get used to it. Now, looking back at everything we lived through, we see that the things that seemed like they would never end at the time, the sadness we thought would never pass, have indeed passed. Of course, while they passed, they left their mark, and now we continue our lives today with that reality. So, what did we live through? Should what we’ve lived through be forgotten? Have what we’ve lived through been forgotten?