Before the global pandemic hit, forever altering the lives of nearly every human being, life was good. We woke up to a too early alarm, then clocked in for a less than exciting job or class. Every day humans went through the motions of life, but never really lived in any of it. 

Now, I’m in no way saying that a global pandemic is a good thing. It is very horrific. However, it did cause a deviation of routine,which isn’t really so bad. 

For the first time since elementary school, I’ve had time to actually enjoy my interests. I binged all the shows I wanted, read a considerable amount, and actually had conversations with the people of my household. 

Online school isn’t ideal either, but is it really the worst? I mean, we’re  done with school at about 2:00 pm, which is a whole hour and 15 minutes earlier than a “regular” school day. (Who decided that seven  hours of our day would be spent at school anyway?) After school, most students spent their afternoons doing years of homework, extracurricular activities, and the duties of a child or sibling. In the blink of an eye, the day is gone and you’re asleep. If you’re fortunate, then maybe you spent some time with a parent in the afternoon, or even got more than six  hours of sleep. 

Beyond just time spent at school, what about the years wasted? Almost 16-20—or more—years of our lives are stolen by the educational system. After that, the rest of your life belongs to some 9-5 that doesn’t really make anyone happy. So much of our days and years are spent on menial tasks that are made out to be more urgent than they actually are. 

Imagine if life didn’t revolve around bells and alarms—without dealing with a pandemic of course. Humans would be free to travel, explore, and truly be themselves. I’m not suggesting an anarchical overthrow of education or day jobs, rather the rebirth of a corrupt system. Instead of slaving away for corporate greed, force the system to change. Not waking up everyday for a paycheck that isn’t even very effective, or going to school for a quarter of your life, sacrificing your childhood, but really living, rather than existing.

In the end, maybe humanity needed a break from routine and reality—again, not that a pandemic or its outplaying factors are positive. But, besides being isolated, quarantine has allowed humanity to get back in tune with themselves, taking up hobbies long forgotten or never dreamt of. Individuals got to rediscover themselves without societal, educational, or capitalists pressures. There’s a lot to unearth during these unprecedented times so, don’t forget what you’ve learned when life becomes habitual once more.