The Days of Lockdown - week 5

The Days of Lockdown – week 5

12 April 2020 - Snoozing

Today is Easter, the day of the Resurrection. The Lord may have risen, but we have not. We are still in limbo, awaiting judgment. We are neither here nor there, so to speak. We are not fully awake to what’s going on or what’s going to happen. We are snoozing.

After four weeks, we know the drill: wash hands, keep distance, don’t meet up. We don’t have to think about it too much anymore. Slowly we are becoming accustomed to this ‘new normal’. We still follow the news, but not as frantically: we doze off in the middle of another avalanche of numbers, knowing there will be more tomorrow.

We literally hit the snooze button. Working from home, or not working, means we can get out of bed later – something that has improved the quality of life of this night owl immensely, by the way. We can sleep a little longer, though there are reports of people having more nightmares and vivid dreams. When the world stands still, every movement stands out.

Facebook has an option where you can ‘snooze’ someone for 30 days, meaning you don’t see any of their posts unless you go looking for them. I have found myself increasingly making use of this possibility to fend off the madness of those who can’t slumber in the status quo. They post ever more frantic and outlandish conspiracy theories in which lizards from outer space have invented 5G to give us all corona and control us through microchips implanted by über-overlord Bill Gates. These days we discover what helps and what hinders us, who are our kindred spirits and whose ways of thinking seem sheer insanity.  

In this subdued state, this quiet time, we can consider ourselves and the world around us. We may not be able to act, but we can observe and see all that is wrong and right around us. That’s why this time is an opportunity to become truly awake, if we dare to take it. Still, good and bad signs abound in equal numbers, so the jury is still out and in limbo we remain.

Looking back at some astrological forecasts, which I generally tend to take with a pinch of salt, it is almost shocking to see how accurate they were. This year and the next are supposed to constitute radical change. The first half of 2020 would be relatively peaceful – the quiet before the storm, as we are experiencing now in this sleepy state. The second half will be a rude awakening, as we will be faced with the consequences of this interval.

What and who will still be standing? How will positions of power have changed? Will friends still be friends and enemies still be enemies? I think we will look back on this period with nostalgia. Walking along the quiet canals under an incredibly clear blue sky, going for midnight strolls with the stars overhead, meeting friends in the middle of the week, sitting together at 1.5 meters distance. These will be the good old days - at least, for those of us privileged enough to be able to afford social distancing.

So, let’s take this opportunity to snooze, to rest, to slumber, to dream and to imagine. And when things have become clear, we will wake up and see who is ready for the resurrection.