LOCKDOWN

It is April 2020, the world is facing a lockdown like it has not known since the war. For many, including myself, I have not known anything like it. We are use to freedom!! Freedom to go where we want, by car, plane, train, coach , bus, bike or by our own two feet. That has all been taken away…

LOCKDOWN, do we really, truly know what it is like? We are asked to stay at home!!! Home, where we have our comfortable three piece suites, our warm beds, electricity, gas, water, warmth and of course the world wide web. We are able to communicate with our family and friends by way of phone, Email, Zoom, FaceTime, Skype and other social networking platforms. Our mail is being delivered as normal, our milk too. Supermarkets can deliver our shopping, and we are even given permission to go out and do this, as well as exercise. LOCKDOWN…

I was fortunate enough a couple of years ago to visit Latvia. On the hotel reception there was a stand on “things to do.” A pamphlet suggesting a visit to an old KGB prison was sitting amongst many others. Good idea, so off we popped. Inside many artefacts, information and media. The prison remained exactly how it was in the day. Cold, damp and hollow. The smell was unique. On looking around I felt physically ill. Further into the building was a six foot square room. ( actually there were quite a few of them, obviously) however this particular one had a television set in playing a video of older people talking about there experience inside this prison…

A room the size of the one I was sitting in, full of thirty plus bodies, naked, no toilet, hard damp stone from foot to ceiling, no chairs, tables or beds. Thirty plus, inside one cell for more than a decade. Food thrown into them with water. They were not let out for anything. Physical abuse on top of all the sheer agony of exsisting. It was an experience I shall never, ever forget.

The above is a millionth of what I discovered during that visit. The world is in LOCKDOWN. I argue that point. We are being asked to stay home, where we are warm, comfortable, where we can sit in our gardens, continue our interests. Where we can watch our favourite films, play music, play games and contact our family, friends and loved ones. That to me is not LOCKDOWN. That is a polite request to stay in our own worlds so the whole world can heal. It is a polite request to help us stay safe from harm, to protect our lives.

Think, think, think. The NHS, staff cannot stay home, they are having to treat people who foolishly don’t do as they are asked. Putting themselves and their very precious families at risk. It’s not only the NHS, it’s the carers of our loved ones, the delivery drivers who deliver our shopping, the postmen, the milkmen, the supermarket staff all putting themselves at risk to provide for people who have an option to stay at home.

This is not LOCKDOWN, this is luxury. How many times do we want to stay at home when we have to go to work or other commitments?

It’s very sad, the human attitude at times. Sometimes it makes me sad to be human. People trying to protect us and others working because of our neglect and selfishness.

If you want to know real LOCKDOWN, investigate in the comfort of your own home my above experience.

Be grateful you can stay home!!!