Five years on, what did COVID teach you?

Algorithms are the great evil of our time

I don't have to drive to a desk 5 days week to send and receive emails, or go on Teams/Zoom calls. 2 to 3 is adequate for pressing the flesh and actually doing the "hands on" parts of the job.

It didn't teach me that people who self identify as "right wing" are in general completely nuts because that was already obvious but it did teach me that the majority of people have no real interest in trying to understanding complexity and prefer to trade in comforting simplicity and soundbytes which they hope will make them appear intelligent.

It's funny. Covid is still rampant now, but the vast majority of those under 55 are not vaccinated against it. Yet we don't have stories of hospitals being overrun with young people dying of Covid anymore. So either the virus has changed - and the scientists are saying it hasn't, or our attitude towards it has changed. I remember early on someone on the radio, it may have been Luke O'Neill, saying that when there is a new risk we overcompensate to avoid it, and then ultimately we just absorb the risk into our daily lives. Like getting into a car every day despite the risk of crashing. Even my 83 year old mum hasn't had a covid vaccine for a year (though she is going to the flu/covid one next week).

So what I've learned is… yes we were right to lock down the first time, when we didn't know what the impact of the virus would be. But I wish I and my friends/family hadn't been so docile and obedient the second time around (November 2020/January 2021). We missed so many things - the funeral of my aunt, the cancellation of weddings, and god the kids missed so much school. Never should the schools close again. And never will I be following numbers of infections avidly on the news anymore. When I look back on it, it all seems like collective madness. Imagine not being able to go into a cafe because you haven't been vaccinated in the past six months? I got vaccinated, and did my top ups. I believe in science, and vaccines. But I haven't had a jab in four years. Yet no-one is looking at me now like I'm some sort of conspiracy theorist.

I think if a similar virus happened again, I might be fine with a short lockdown of a month or two, so that we can get a handle on what to prioritise and what resources we need to deploy, but I wouldn't put up with it after that. That's what I've learned.

The good things are definitely the working from home. We had the option to avail of one day a week before Covid and I never took it as I thought working from home would drive me up the walls (I'm definitely an extrovert). As it turns out, working from home 50% of the time now has hugely reduced my stress levels, not to mention my childcare costs. My kids are at that good age where they can mind themselves, but you wouldn't want them to be at home without a responsible adult in the house, just in case.

I suppose what I've learned is people can get caught up in a collective madness if it's all you hear about on the news. I have realised how 24hour news cycles can actually be really bad for mental health. I've since deleted all the news apps on my phone, and only read headlines once in the morning before work, and once in the evening. I've purposely avoided things like the Ukraine or Palestine wars. I'll happily donate to fundraising causes, but I don't need to know all the details.

That people who reject mainstream media/science etc. will never hold their new found safe space to the same standards as the mainstream.

I said at the time that schools were an essential service like Gardaí, doctors and nurses and I was lambasted on FB for my posts. Needless to say there are many many others who would now agree that school should never ever have been closed.

What work colleagues are good in a crisis. I remember colleagues who were excellent at their jobs suddenly go to pieces and act like headless chickens when covid was announced........and others who remained calm and admirably dealt with what had been suddenly thrown at them.

I'm in the second category and would love to see a new tax band introduced for teachers, Garda, nurses, doctors, etc to let them take home a lot more money.

Teachers !!! sure they spent most of COVID not teaching, they were hardly essential when they didn't teach for most of it were they?

love to see a new tax band introduced for teachers, Garda, nurses, doctors, etc 

But where do yo draw the line? An honest nurse, doctor or hospital manager will tell you that the place won't stay open more than an day or two without the cleaners and security guards. Is a cleaner in a hospital really more important than a cleaner in a supermarket? Etc etc.

5 years 😐️ I feel old!