Every era defining moment comes with its own language, pulling familiar words into view and filling their meaning with fresh and often urgent purpose.
The COVID-19 pandemic is no different. Weāve always known ālockdownā was a term and together with words like āunprecedentedā and āfever,ā they have been enjoying a popularity of epidemic proportions.
But thereās one word thatās made the COVID VOCAB Top Ten and I believe itās influence will extend way beyond it, leaving words like ālockdown,ā āunprecedentedā or āsocialā and ādistancingā standing in its wake.
Itās the word: ESSENTIAL. Currently āessentialā is rightly being used by governments to help us distinguish between whatās absolutely necessary and what isnāt in terms of travel, shopping and other services.
However, the word āessentialā is redefining everything around us.
Over the weeks since the outbreak started Churches, employers and people have discovered or perhaps rediscovered whatās not – and what is – essentially essential:
Buildings arenāt, but bonding is – sharing mission is better than sharing space.
Luxury isnāt, but living is – āmeaningā is trumping āmore.ā
Resource isnāt, but reach is – effort has overtaken excellence and is winning. āMake – doā has made a come back.
Urgent isnāt, but important is – what we canāt do is revealing what we will do, once we can. And itās not what we thought. Weāll prioritise people first, places second.
Class isnāt, but character is – more low level moral fibre than moralising from the high ground.
Time isnāt but together is – time isnāt nearly as important as what we do with the time weāll have when things relax a little.
Life in Lockdown has somehow made us feel freer than ever – free to be true to ourselves, freer to explore interests and hobbies, freer to shape our lives in the form of our own agenda rather than being historically pushed from pillar to post by everyone elseās.
Thereās a lot I miss about life the way it was, but for all the disruption and subsequent separation, āessentialā has changed everything and Iām in no hurry to see life go back to ānormal.ā Maybe it will. Maybe it has to, but surely we have to emerge from this more connected, creative, contented and caring?
What do you think may change as we emerge from this?
How is COVID-19 reshaping your āessentialā life?
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