Excellent analysis, Don. Though Ive never been a social butterfly, Covid has turned me into a recluse/hermit. I think twice about leaving my home, except for necessities--grocery shopping (now that home deliveries have decreased) and doctor's appointments, mostly. One of my doctors switched to and maintains televisits, which I greatly appreciate. Another still has covid precautions in place (masks, protocols, etc.).
Occasionally, I will attend social events, but only in places and with people I've deemed "safe." And I haven't attended a funeral in person since Before Covid.
I did, however, attend my nephew's wedding last year, as well as an uncle's centennial bithday celebration. These were the last times my family gathered in large numbers. Even now, we are reluctant to visit each other's homes. That deprivation hits me hardest. Phone calls, texts, and emails just aren't enough.
The upside is that I've nurtured my writing--publishing 10 poems since 2020(!), and developing more writing projects. I've also learned, thankfully, that I have the grit, grace, and determination to learn and grow as a person in these still trying times.
Sep 24, 2022·edited Sep 24, 2022Liked by Don Akchin
Great summary/ analysis, Don. I'm glad you raised the huge impact of loneliness on Gen Z, but I am struck by how much the Gen Z people I know value community. I hope and think they're typical.
Loneliness among seniors was already being spotlighted in the UK by the Royal Voluntary Service before COVID, and I was relieved to see this issue get airtime in the US: Our mobile, money-first and divided society is immiserating middle-class people who probably thought themselves immune to such concerns.
I would suggest another factor in the Great Resignation: Sudden awareness of our mortality coupled with more time away from the workplace, plus continued unreasonable demands from managers, has made many people suddenly aware of the appalling conditions under which they labor. I fled my tenured academic job in the dreadful University System of Georgia in 2008, and have since been told by former colleagues how much they envied me. In the past three years, many of them (having been told to teach in maskless classrooms) have resigned, retired early, or engaged in "quiet quitting". University administrations are happy to see the back of faculty who actually care about education and are outspoken in its defense, since they challenge the top-heavy institution that exists to provide jobs for empty suits. The public is increasingly aware that schools have reached crisis point in trying to hire teachers (and are now resorting to babysitters) But universities, I'm terrified to say, are not far behind, and COVID is among the reasons.
This was a valuable summary of the situation that has unfolded over the past two and a half months. Every aspect of life changed and in some cases the change is permanent. We are designed to "carry on." But really....some of this upheaval is life-altering and not everyone is able to process it.
So glad you focused on seniors. Much of the reporting of the ancillary effects of Covid is focused on youth, and we seniors are many times left out. As you and I have discussed, the good news for me being hit with the double whammy of retirement and Covid, is that I got active with the community, being physically active, doing many things I have avoided over the years, and more. All this has mostly gotten me out of the mild depression and anxiety I started out with.
My husband of 62 years was one the million plus older adults who died from complications of COVID while he was in a memory care facility. So my life has changed in every way.
Excellent analysis, Don. Though Ive never been a social butterfly, Covid has turned me into a recluse/hermit. I think twice about leaving my home, except for necessities--grocery shopping (now that home deliveries have decreased) and doctor's appointments, mostly. One of my doctors switched to and maintains televisits, which I greatly appreciate. Another still has covid precautions in place (masks, protocols, etc.).
Occasionally, I will attend social events, but only in places and with people I've deemed "safe." And I haven't attended a funeral in person since Before Covid.
I did, however, attend my nephew's wedding last year, as well as an uncle's centennial bithday celebration. These were the last times my family gathered in large numbers. Even now, we are reluctant to visit each other's homes. That deprivation hits me hardest. Phone calls, texts, and emails just aren't enough.
The upside is that I've nurtured my writing--publishing 10 poems since 2020(!), and developing more writing projects. I've also learned, thankfully, that I have the grit, grace, and determination to learn and grow as a person in these still trying times.
Great summary/ analysis, Don. I'm glad you raised the huge impact of loneliness on Gen Z, but I am struck by how much the Gen Z people I know value community. I hope and think they're typical.
Loneliness among seniors was already being spotlighted in the UK by the Royal Voluntary Service before COVID, and I was relieved to see this issue get airtime in the US: Our mobile, money-first and divided society is immiserating middle-class people who probably thought themselves immune to such concerns.
I would suggest another factor in the Great Resignation: Sudden awareness of our mortality coupled with more time away from the workplace, plus continued unreasonable demands from managers, has made many people suddenly aware of the appalling conditions under which they labor. I fled my tenured academic job in the dreadful University System of Georgia in 2008, and have since been told by former colleagues how much they envied me. In the past three years, many of them (having been told to teach in maskless classrooms) have resigned, retired early, or engaged in "quiet quitting". University administrations are happy to see the back of faculty who actually care about education and are outspoken in its defense, since they challenge the top-heavy institution that exists to provide jobs for empty suits. The public is increasingly aware that schools have reached crisis point in trying to hire teachers (and are now resorting to babysitters) But universities, I'm terrified to say, are not far behind, and COVID is among the reasons.
This was a valuable summary of the situation that has unfolded over the past two and a half months. Every aspect of life changed and in some cases the change is permanent. We are designed to "carry on." But really....some of this upheaval is life-altering and not everyone is able to process it.
Don,
So glad you focused on seniors. Much of the reporting of the ancillary effects of Covid is focused on youth, and we seniors are many times left out. As you and I have discussed, the good news for me being hit with the double whammy of retirement and Covid, is that I got active with the community, being physically active, doing many things I have avoided over the years, and more. All this has mostly gotten me out of the mild depression and anxiety I started out with.
My husband of 62 years was one the million plus older adults who died from complications of COVID while he was in a memory care facility. So my life has changed in every way.