We Will Get Through This
This too shall pass. Hang tight!
First off, this piece is inspired by the latest video of Peter McKinnon, titled We Will Get Through This, and the very purpose of this piece is to help you all in coping with this chaos.
For those who don’t know, Peter McKinnon, is one hell of a photographer, videographer and above all, a great Youtuber. I have been following him for the past two years and I must say that there are quite a few content creators, even far less Youtubers, who can produce such high quality content as Peter McKinnon has been producing for the last few years.
Interestingly, Peter has been uploading quite frequently on his channel for the last one week or so (quite unusual though!) and given all this lockdown, it seems like Peter is making the most of his time to keep us all informed and entertained.
So, as I woke up today and opened YouTube to watch something good, Peter’s video was right up there. Involuntarily, I clicked it. I knew that it would be great(or in the words of Peter, ‘Sick!’) but little did I know that it would be the best thing that I had seen in quite a long time.
The video wasn’t that long but the way Peter wrote the whole thing and then shot it, I must confess that for 2 minutes and 11 seconds I felt like in some kind of zone. It felt like Peter giving us all a message, telling us how to spend our time during this isolation and keeping our hopes high that we will get through this.
It was so good that I thought it deserved a dedicated piece. So, I went ahead, wrote whatever Peter said in that video and then spent some time, understanding it. Before I start explaining what that video means, it is better for you guys to watch the video or read it yourself.
Peter said,
“March 25th, 2020. It’s 1 degree Celsius outside, overcast. Mostly the same weather these last few days. Kids are doing well. I enjoy spending more time with them. Family in general, all around, is doing well. Waking up earlier to make coffee and make these entries. Routine feels good. I am reminding myself each day that we will get through this. Starting to get a little bored at the office. It’s just not the same on your own. There is a loneliness I haven’t felt before. You kind of feel like you’re the only one on the planet. It feels a lot like a movie. One day at a time now, right. Making these videos, it helps keep my mind clear and active. I am actually finding that I am enjoying it more recently, which is interesting. Going home is probably still the best part of my day. Trying to leave the house as little as possible. All right, that’s it, I got nothing else. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
As you can see/read, it was quite wholesome and thought-provoking.
So, what did that video actually mean?
In the video, Peter has talked about two main things and for the sake of your convenience, I have discussed them separately in the following paragraphs.
1. What’s going on?
In the first part of the video, Peter explains what’s going on and expresses the loneliness, which he has been feeling.
Spending time with family:
In the very beginning of the video, Peter tells us that he is enjoying spending time with his family and gives us an idea that his first and foremost concern is the well-being of his beloved ones, which says a lot about him as a person. In his own words, “Kids are doing well. I enjoy spending more time with them. Family in general, all around, is doing well.” Thus, Peter is looking at the bright side of the picture, using this time as an opportunity to be around his dearest ones.
To be honest with you, it is not only Peter rather we all are worried about the well-being of our family, now more than ever. The other day, I was reading Yuval Noah Harari’s piece, and of all the thought-provoking ideas he discussed, one really struck my mind. “In a moment of crisis, minds too can change quickly.” It sounds true because ever since this lockdown/isolation, I have gotten more time to spend with my parents and siblings. Now, I am more concerned about their well-being. I always were, but not like that. So, this lockdown/isolation has given us all a chance to spend some quality time with our families. Don’t waste it.
Feeling Loneliness:
“There is a loneliness I haven’t felt before. You kind of feel like you’re the only one on the planet. It feels a lot like a movie.” It feels like Peter is speaking on behalf of all of us. I can’t agree more because it actually feels like some post-apocalyptic reality, where people are so frightened to get out of their abodes. It does feel like a movie, where you can’t get out of your house or you may get killed. Roads with no traffic, empty streets, closed shops, everyone inside their homes hoping for this chaos to end soon, it doesn’t give a pretty picture. Not all at. All this lifelessness is frightening and if the crisis persists, it wouldn’t be long before we all get drowned in the deep ocean of loneliness.
2. We will get through this!
In the second part of the video, Peter gives his views on how we will get through this.
Keep your hopes high:
Peter suggests us to remain optimistic, amid this chaos, and believe that it will soon be over. “I am reminding myself each day that we will get through this.” And we all should do the same. We should not let all this disillusionment of fear infect us and deprive us of our dreams of a better future. We should keep reassuring ourselves that soon, the crisis will be over and we will get another chance to enjoy the blissful reality of this life.
One day at a time:
Apparently, this virus has somehow exposed the innate vulnerability of human race. In the wake of this pandemic, humans are finding it quite difficult to fight with the fear of becoming extinct. However, the best recourse right now is to take one day at a time. It seems like this prevailing sense of fear will end up doing more harm than the virus itself. As Peter himself said, “One day at a time now, right. Making these videos, it helps keep my mind clear and active.” Moving forward, we should only be concerned about the present day, even when the future doesn’t look too good.
Take care of yourself and others:
In these unprecedented times of crisis, it feels like we don’t have much to take from the history. Yet, we can still learn from the Spanish Flu (1918–1920), the deadliest pandemic in the recent history of mankind. Some of you might argue that the Spanish Flu and Covid-19 have a number of dissimilarities such as the spread of Spanish Flu across the world was much slower and most of its victims were young and healthy. (In case you want to know more, reading the article) No denying that. However, even in 1918 some places kept the Spanish Flu at bay by closing schools, banning public gathering or in simple words, they prevent the spread of the Spanish Flu by locking themselves down.
Irrespective of the improvements in the public health systems in the last 100 years, still the best known ways to prevent the spread of Coronavirus are as simple as they sound. Remaining within our homes, not stepping outside unless necessary, washing our hands, making as little contact with others as possible, these are some of the measures which have proved to be useful is keeping the virus at bay. And Peters suggests the same, “Trying to leave the house as little as possible.”
To conclude, weather you’re a fan of Peter McKinnon or not, this video is for all of us, who are finding it difficult to keep our hopes of survival alive. Important thing is to take one day at a time and be around your beloved ones. Keep your hopes high and remember, this too shall pass.
