Inner-views

Life is changing rapidly. Much might be different by Sunday when this article is published. At the time of writing (Wednesday) most of us are inside, following directives to stay home. Via phone, I reached out to five random people, asking them the same simple questions.

1st Inner-view

What do you miss about life as it was (if anything)?

Freedom to do whatever I want at whatever time.

How do you compensate for that feeling while staying home?

By having a very structured day so I don’t get bored.

Anything you want to say to the nation?

Learn from this experience. Don’t revert to the madness.

2nd Inner-view:

What do you miss about life as it was (if anything)?

My first response would be nothing. On further thought, going to the beach.

How do you compensate for that feeling while staying home?

I’m thinking of going to an empty villa with a pool.

Anything you want to say to the nation?

Heed the Prime Minister’s call to stay at home.

And yet you’re going to a villa?

I’m going in my car with my daughter to an empty, secluded villa. I’m not mixing. The issue in my eyes is mixing with other people.

3rd Inner-view:

What do you miss about life as it was (if anything)?

Nothing.

So how do you feel staying home?

Content. At peace.

Anything you want to say to the nation?

Enjoy the simple things that are free.

4th Inner-view:

What do you miss about life as it was (if anything)?

Going for long drives, meeting up with people.

How do you compensate for that feeling while staying home?

I go for a drive within. I write a little more. I’m online more. I’m online looking at different things and places on Youtube. I’m bringing the outside in.

Anything you want to say to the nation?

I’m really disappointed in people. We see what the virus did to China, Italy and a lot of places in Europe, and people are still being like they don’t care. They are outside. They’re making it political.

This pandemic has nothing to do with politics, race or religion. It’s like people think they are invincible. Like it won’t come their way.

5th Inner-view

What do you miss about life as it was (if anything)?

I love going out and interacting with people. I’m a business person. so I miss my business. It’s my living – how I earn money to survive.

I miss my freedom to decide what I want to do, how and when.

Now it’s real stressful. You have to think about so much now in detail before doing anything.

I found myself touching someone recently and pulling back –“Oh my God!”

I wouldn’t like to live where we don’t have freedom to hug or touch someone.

How do you compensate for that feeling while staying home?

I glory in the beauty of nature and how it works now that we are in shutdown.

The environment is benefiting from us being in isolation. In Italy they see more fishes in the rivers. The birds are coming out. It’s exciting. We humans are in check, but the environment has space to breathe. We are being reminded that we share the world with other living beings.

That is what I focus on rather than the pandemic and how many people have died.

I spend more time with family. I do things that we wouldn’t normally have done because we were so busy. It has this other side that’s good for us, I think.

Anything you want to say to the nation?

Yes. We are all now required to do the same thing if we are to survive. We need to adhere to rules and do what they tell us to do. This is teaching us that we cannot become complacent in life and break rules, thinking that has no impact.

This situation shows us that rules, when broken, have a serious consequence. It’s do or die. If you don’t do it...you might get away, but you could pass the virus onto someone else and they could die from your stupidity. It is that serious.

May our time within grant us deeper, more lasting insight into what is of true value.