The beginning at the end.

Look at any post-apocalyptic media, and you will see one shared theme – survival by any means necessary. A war between ourselves. A survival of the fittest. A world, where every man looks out only for himself. But that was not what I saw during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. I saw neighbours band together and help one another, whether with shopping or even loneliness. I saw a whole world band together and keep each other entertained and happy; money fundraisers, gifts, and applause for key workers. I saw a unity, a harmony, a community. I saw fear and panic become slowly overwhelmed by positivity and laughter, and a hope that the future will be better because of the sacrifice of the quarantine. A hope for the day we would be allowed out of Quarantine. And that day was yesterday.

What I saw upon leaving quarantine was a world heaving with happy faces and joyous laughter. Friends meeting, in person for the first time, after months of being separated. I saw families embrace safely and celebrate birthdays been and gone. I saw couples who had sparked a romance over online dating apps meet for the first time face to face. The shops and restaurants were slightly messy, from being left derelict for months, but not one single person cared about the mess, or about the long wait times for food and drinks, or about the bustling noise encapsulating the room. For once we all had a mountain of patience and understanding; for once we truly understood what a privilege it is to see those we love and the pure joy of being outside amongst the huddled masses. People were squeezing onto benches to allow more patrons to enter; neighbour squished by neighbour, strangers turning to friends. It was quite a sight, and one so alien to me. How could only 2 months change our inpatient, rude, self-entitled society so much? It seemed that all it took for our society to turn into a community was a deadly virus and a national pandemic. And now that we have safely navigated our way through, we were better, stronger, and happier than before. We were free.