You know, the reason a lot of us struggle to “go back to normal” as we’re getting to a point of more safety with covid is not “virtue signaling” or being addicted to the pandemic lifestyle, it’s because it’s traumatizing to reconcile that so many ppl didn’t care about our lives.
It’s not a question of suddenly not believing in science anymore or not wanting our lives back, it’s a question of the idea that we should just “go back to normal” as if everything we’ve been through, everything we sacrificed doesn’t matter and has no resolution.
We’ve lost friends and family to the virus. We’ve lost friends and family to the cruel conspiracy theories. We’ve watched horrible and dehumanizing things happen and learned that our neighbors would rather let us, our friends and family die than to wear a mask.
You don’t just walk out of that unscathed and go back to like it was before. There is no going back to before to me. Before I wasn’t aware how many people around me would literally let me die than to take care of each other in public spaces.
Before I didn’t know people could completely ignore regulations that can cost people their lives and face no consequences and STILL end up safe due to the diligence and sacrifice of others. There is no resolution in that. There is no “back to normal” because I learned all this.
It has nothing to do with virtue signaling and everything to do with trying to reconcile huge collective trauma that nobody is offering any resolution for. No resolution for the loss of people, relationships and time. No acknowledgement of the trauma.
Don’t let people gaslight you into being sensitive for having a hard time to process it all and for not wanting to go back to how it was before because things ARE NOT like they were before. They are different now and I myself need time to work out what that means for me.
It has nothing to do with virtue signaling and people who say that are assholes who once more refuse to acknowledge the many complex feelings that a historical event like this has caused for many many people. It’s natural to want to process and change things for “after”.
Whether that’s changing your social circles, changing some of your behaviors, still wearing masks,... You process and reconcile however you need to. And it’s perfectly natural to be angry that our leaders are not offering any guidance or help with resolution.
It’s okay to process in whatever way you need to and take it at your own pace. Prolonged isolation from what you love, the loss, the living in worry and even fear - it takes time. Take however long you need and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.
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