Everyone on the internet seems to be losing their minds over the whole isolation thing. Some people ignore it, they hold “coronavirus parties,” and hang out. A few even call the virus a hoax. They go about their lives normally. Some are prepping for the End Times. They’ve raided the supermarkets and stores of all toilet paper and sanitizer. Don’t even clear your throat within a one mile radius of them. But most people are just getting tired of quarantine. My family members seem to build up more and more energy every day, and I think it just might explode soon.
However, it seems that while the general population is going stir crazy, I have come to a startling revelation. As an introvert, isolation is my natural habitat. And I bet there are some of you reading this who are doing just fine as well. Sure, I miss going to school and seeing my friends and not having to drop kick anyone within a six foot radius. My plans are cancelled and April vacation happened in March, but I’m using the quarantine as a chance to reconnect with art, reading and writing. Oh, and Netflix. Lots of Netflix.
2020 is off to a dramatic start. Coronavirus is spreading, the Dow Jones plummeted, all plans for the foreseeable future are off, there are people on Tik Tok licking toilet seats, and to boot, I now get to see what having virtual band class is like. But through it all, one can see Generation Z dealing with everything in a unique way. Somehow, we’ve made makeshift historical records through social media, and across the internet there are examples of young people using humor and ingenuity to cope with the crushing reality of the worldwide pandemic. Everyone is finding their own way. There are videos of Italians singing while on separate balconies, stories of NBA players donating to cover others’ salaries, people worldwide coming together to fight the loneliness and panic. Isolation is sad and boring, but as a whole, humanity may be able to come out of this mess united.
After all, we are all alone together.
Sierra Silversmith is a student at South Kingstown High School in Wakefield, Rhode Island. She is a 2019 and 2020 Write Rhode Island winner.
WRITE RHODE ISLAND: OUR LIVES NOW 