COLUMNIST
Editor’s Page By Victoria A. Schmidt
D
epression and anger are little-discussed side effects of COVID. We would have to be blind, deaf, and dumb not to have had a least a small bout of depression during this time. As independent people we were not prepared for this in any way. Now, I’m not talking politics in this piece, I’m talking about human nature. We have never gone through anything like this. Before, we could get up in the morning and choose our day. We could go anywhere, do almost anything we wanted to do. Suddenly we were invaded by a rapidly spreading, invasive and potentially lethal virus. It changed everything. For every inhabitant on the planet. Overnight, we were faced with decisions we never had to make before. Is it as bad as they say it is? Is it real? Are people overreacting? Each day seemed to bring more bad news. Do we stay? Do we go? Then came the lockdown. Suddenly other people were making decisions for us. You can go here, but not there. You have to wear masks, use hand gel, and distance yourself from strangers. It was difficult for those making the rules, and difficult for others to follow the rules. We started the lockdown thinking it wouldn’t be for long. And now that it’s six months later, the questions
6
El Ojo del Lago / October 2020
keep coming and we are still under restrictions. The public is pushing to “get back to normal,” while the governments are trying to push ahead. But the problem is that the virus keeps on. Different doctors and scientists are researching this elusive virus. New symptoms are being discovered, testing is still developing, and we all anxiously await a vaccine. But when there is one, can we trust it? These issues cause problems, physical, psychological, and economical. I cannot cover all these issues in one editorial. But I want everyone to realize as we move forward, while these issues DO affect everyone, we all deal with the challenges differently. Some become angry and rail at their circumstances; their normal behavior may change to less understanding and more aggressive. Others may become depressed and more resigned. And don’t forget, depression is anger turned inward. For those who live alone, loneliness may be the most challenging side effect. And for those in the more vulnerable groups, the elderly and medically compromised, running errands and keeping appointments have become very real danger zones. Older people living alone seem to have more difficulty caring for
