As I am writing this, “Spider Man Far From Home” is on the TV. In the movie, Peter Parker (aka Spiderman, aka Tom Holland) is on a school trip around Europe. Peter’s life is very different from the reality we face today, for multiple reasons. You could say that Peter feels isolated like we do; he has to keep his identity a secret and is seen by himself quite a lot. But I’m not really into metaphors.
A month ago, I sat in class, whilst my teacher read out the statement the Taoiseach (the Irish prime minister) had released saying all schools were to close for at least two weeks. Each line she read caused my class to let out giddy shrieks. For us, this seemed like a good thing, an extended Easter break. So, we packed up books, said goodbyes and promised to FaceTime. But, a week later, that giddy feeling had more or less faded as reality sunk in.
Flash forward to the present, the Taoiseach made another statement that lockdown would continue for a further three weeks. It wasn’t surprising, but it was still disappointing. Days in lockdown are long, boring and it feels like I’ve been here for more than a month. My siblings watch movies and play to keep themselves busy. I try to fight boredom with at home exercises and music.
I suppose we’re lucky as both my parents can still work, earn an income and we’re actually saving money by not leaving the house. Still, reality feels distorted. The days are almost normal but not quite right. Schoolwork seems like more of a trek than it did when I was actually in school. Every so often, I’ll forget about quarantine and go to text my friends about hanging out this weekend or I’ll try to do some online shopping only to find out that the site doesn’t ship to Ireland. Once a week, my mum does the shopping. Every shop has a queuing system, where they ask her if she’s alone and what she’s doing. Then she waits to be called in.
I guess, even though we try to act as normal as we possibly we can, there’s fear in our house. I worry that I’m not going to see my friends until September. My parents worry that something’ll happen and they won’t be able to work. And we all fear the virus.
In the movie, if Peter gives in to his fears, the bad guys win and people’s lives are at stake. You could apply that to our lives. If we give in, to the fear of the virus, doesn’t it win? Aren’t people’s lives already at stake? I might only be fourteen, but I think if we let this virus control us more than it has already, then it wins this fight. So, if you’re reading this, I know this is an awful situation but please don’t let this fear control you or your daily life. Don’t let it win.