By: Afnan Imran – Year 11
Covid-19 a blessing in disguise; a lesson teaching us the “art of losing” which isn’t hard to adapt. However, I think it is safe to say that most of us have yet to get used to mastering the act of losing things that we don’t want to let go of, be it a person, a place, or a thing that does not matter as long as you “never give up” right? I’ve realized there is a certain bar or standard set for us students post covid that we’re subconsciously forced to meet. So, reader, this isn’t some sappy teenage “drama” blog but a harsh reality most of the millennials of this time have forgotten to recognize in us. After all, they are who we learn from.
One fact that we all outwardly accept without recognizing the gravity of it is that covid definitely has impacted all of us in diverse ways some more than others. And in all uncompromising honesty, it is heartbreaking. Responsible reader, teenagers are full of deceit and their life is full of contradictions. Talking from experience, of course, human interactions remain the only way we kept ourselves together; mentally, emotionally, and physically. And now that we don’t have that I inevitably feel that not all but most of us are falling apart withdrawn from close sight. And in these harsh times, we are making mistakes, taking the wrong turns, hoisting friendships and relationships that aren’t meant to be for us. The thing I’m struggling to express as an underprepared student in my teens is that undervalued yet pressured feeling that makes us feel like we’re abandoned in a field full of dandelions not considered flowers, just dry weed. Owning the fact that most of us blatantly ignore is that just because we’re not “old enough” does not mean our problems don’t weigh more or equally as much as any adults would.
I am not here to tell you how complicated life has been during covid in a generalized manner because one precious thing covid has disciplined me and assuming many others, is how no one has had my back like I did my own and so recognizing that self-love? Perhaps I will only talk about the personal struggle that I have directly experienced and the challenging times I almost broke.
The life we cherished before realistically was, adventure. We at that time too had no idea what we were doing, but the thing is there was this exhilarating thrill of day-to-day living that left us yearning for new things. What I mean is that; you can’t fully experience the high ends of a certain journey without the contrast of the lows. Understand. Covid has ruined that balanced life cycle and so knowing exactly what is happening we are still unable to mend relations with necessary motivation and moral purpose. We’re becoming sensitive humans with negative emotions and constant tension with zero solutions. My question is, why is personal failure so hard to accept? Why is it that still “what others think” matters? Unaware reader, my question is about appalling loneliness, it’s about individual mental health and more understanding of teenage psychology. Are you devoting just enough attention?
Staying at home, the whole of last odd year has represented nothing more than a desolate experience for so many including myself. From adjusting to online classes to having all those internet issues to living in a multi-generational household with no personal space to desperately worrying about falling grades to losing friends and family. It has been one hell of a rollercoaster ride. But it wasn’t thrilling, there is no joyous excitement this time, disappointed reader. And that is the brutal reality we now have to either accept and live with what life gave us or give up and be numb to whatever the situation is that is not in our control because, “does it even matter anymore” is all we say, “does anyone even care enough of detail,” we ask. Loyal reader, reality is out of control, there aren’t many choices left and complex situations have more power than you yourself. This has reluctantly become me and If this is you, it might uphold you if you visualize a key to the door through which you can escape to whatever that you consider your genuine freedom because that freedom is like the air we breathe, we can’t really feel it until it is taken away from us. So, if the freedom that I’m talking about is what you have or typically possess being a teenager or an adult, don’t take it for granted is all I’m saying, live the absolute hell out of it, all moments are lived once, passed and healed. Don’t wish away days waiting tensely for better ones ahead. Sentimental regret wouldn’t suit you.