What do you think the phrase "waiting for the epidemic to be over" means?

After the peak period of the epidemic is over and things return to normal, I will definitely go travel/study abroad/make more friends/change jobs...” Since the beginning of the COVID-19 epidemic, words like this have made people’s ears For many people, it is not others but themselves who keep talking about these things to the point of exhaustion. These speeches based on the premise of "waiting" sound full of momentum. However, during the long wait, this kind of imagination gradually turned into a means of self-comfort, causing some people to actively choose to escape and procrastinate in their "abnormal" life.

On February 16, 2020, in Hualou Street, Jianghan District, Wuhan City, it was clear after snow, and a pedestrian opened his arms to enjoy the sunshine. Photo by Lu Chong, China Youth Daily

Thinking back to last year, the epidemic When it first happened, almost no one could have imagined that the new coronavirus would have such a serious impact on human society. Therefore, when people envision their life trajectories after the epidemic is over, they often have specific and realistic expectations. They did not realize that these expectations would gradually become vague and illusory during the long wait with no end in sight.

Those who have experienced the SARS epidemic are likely to think that the epidemic has been eliminated based on their experience. Complete elimination is only a "small goal" that is not far away from us. However, as the new coronavirus has raged in various countries around the world, multiple more transmissible variants have emerged, and one after another the optimistic predictions have come to nothing. , the people of the country worked together as one, and through strong prevention and control measures, successfully suppressed the local epidemic within the controllable range of normalized prevention and control, and restored a relatively normal life for most people. However, what if it ends with a global pandemic. , human society returns to its previous "normality" as the standard, and no one dares to judge: How long we have to wait.

When many people spent the first time in their lives unable to reunite with their families in early 2020. During the Spring Festival, their wish may just be to "take their family on a trip abroad when the epidemic is over." If we find someone who hopes so much at that time and ask him when he thinks this goal can be achieved, he will probably think that he only wants to travel abroad. We need to wait until summer. However, as the days go by, people’s speculation about the “end of the epidemic” has changed from 2020 to 2021, and from 2021 to 2022... As we move forward on the runway of time, what we want to reach The "finish line" seems to be running with us. Some people have compared waiting for the end of the epidemic to "waiting for Godot" in conjunction with literary works. This subtle metaphor not only reflects the situation that many people are actually trapped in, It also reminds us: If we place all our hopes of achieving our goals on the end of the epidemic, it may be difficult to return our lives to health and normality.

If we want to rank the various negative impacts caused by the epidemic. , "completely disrupting people's life plans" may be ranked second, second only to infections and deaths directly caused by the virus, socialized epidemic prevention, travel bans, home working, restrictions on social entertainment, and industry shrinkage... …All of these things have caused many people’s lives to suddenly lose their rhythm and focus, and therefore feel at a loss what to do. In the face of a blow, it is a natural psychological mechanism to place hope on "the end of the epidemic." While this reaction is normal, it may not be the best option for getting your life back to normal. Rather than lingering and waiting in anxiety, taking action at this moment, actively looking for opportunities and methods within the scope of conditions, and finding the rhythm of life for yourself will not only help maintain mental health in adversity, but also be different from "waiting for disaster". Compared with "more", it is also a more realistic and feasible solution.

For example, if your wish is to travel abroad, it is better to set up a "travel fund" and save money for a better travel experience while working. At the same time, this may be an opportunity for you who love to travel to discover more interesting attractions hidden around you. If your wish is to change jobs, but you don’t dare to change jobs easily due to the industry uncertainty caused by the epidemic, you can also start to “recharge and prepare” from now on. After all, whether you are ready to submit your resignation or not, “skills are not important” The principle of "body" will never change.

Of course, not all plans disrupted by the epidemic will have easy "alternatives."

For those international students who have had to face one or more "gap years" due to the travel ban, or those in the affected industries who have lost their jobs due to the epidemic, any words of comfort will inevitably seem pale. However, no matter how desperate the adversity in front of you is, only those who are in it can have a chance to find hope of "breaking the situation" by adjusting their own state. Putting all hope of getting out of trouble on "the end of the epidemic" is tantamount to temporarily giving up on oneself before the epidemic is over, and this is by no means the value that people in adversity really need.

In the face of sudden epidemics, individuals often appear passive and powerless. It is impossible for ordinary people to let things like the epidemic change at will according to their own subjective wishes. However, being unable to change the world does not mean that we are powerless. We can always choose the way we face the world and life. By changing ourselves in a positive way, we can face reality better and return to life better. From an idealistic perspective, who dares to say that the world cannot be changed?