Yet Another Pandemic Friday Evening

Today is yet another pandemic Friday evening, with no plans for the weekend. It would be easy to throw caution to the wind and to try to socialise, but to do so, when the number of new cases is going up would be silly. The paradox of pandemics is that it is a marathon of solitude, rather than a sprint. I calculated recently that we could have another 410 days of pandemic left. That’s around eight years.

What frustrates me about this pandemic situation is that Switzerland has demonstrated that with soft lockdowns, nothing more drastic, they were able to reduce the number of new cases down to tiny amounts within three to four months. If Switzerland has self-confident, and self-assured politicians, rather than easily manipulated politicians, we could be out of the pandemic and we could be back to a normal life. It frustrates me that there is no end in sight, due to government incompetence, in a number of countries. Switzerland is not alone in not knowing how to handle a pandemic appropriately. I am not using language stronger than this, don’t worry. And now for something lighter.

What I’m Reading

I tried to read Digital Minimalism but it angered me within minutes. My issue with the book is that it treats social media as an addiction, rather than as a way by which people, who do not live together, connect, without sharing the same physical space. I also tried to read How To Break Up With Your Phone and this book is much better because it says “And this is based on my experience” rather than empty words. I am also reading OutBreak In The Woods, but contrary to what you may believe from the title it is a book about hiking during the current pandemic. I am also reading How Google Works. Do you think I am reading enough or should I try to find some more books.

What I’m Studying.

I am currently studying this course. I bought it because it was on promotion and because it is yet another means by which to study the same things, from a different angle. Some of it will be consolidation and some of it will fill in gaps in my knowledge. In theory it’s a 100day challenge course but I aim to finish it sooner, as I have been through many of these topics before. I also don’t like to give myself such an extended period of time.

I am no longer studying German daily, preferring to be more focused on the web development course. I find that splitting the day into German in the morning, and other learning before lunch, or in the afternoon, doesn’t work. I want to be focused now.

The Status Quo

It is hard to keep going from pandemic day to pandemic day, and from pandemic week to pandemic week with the hope of socialising and having a personal life being no closer. Part of my reason for self-isolation, as severe as it is, is because I am between groups of friends, so to meet new people I need society to re-open. With the way governments around Europe are behaving the pandemic looks like it is in a stable pattern for years to come.

That’s why I am studying every single day. The goal is that, through studying, I can be more comfortable with work, and as a result, be more comfortable with the rest of my life.

If the pandemic had happened five or six years ago I would have been fine. If it had happened when I was diving, climbing, hiking and doing other things then I would not have self-isolated as I am doing. It’s because I was between social groups that I had nothing to lose. All I had to lose was several seasons of life at my current age.

It could be worse. I could have long covid. I believe solitude is a price worth paying, to avoid long covid.