Quarantine Through Rose-Tinted Glasses
Times like these force me to put on my rose tinted glasses and look towards the future and what I see ahead is GOOD.
The past couple of days I have found myself in a depressive funk. The news is bad and it bombards us everyday like a blitzkrieg. I keep thinking this is the way my favorite Zombie movies always begin, with a cough. The problem is whenever I feel overwhelmed and frustrated I like to watch Zombie movies, I use to find them therapeutic, but life now seems to be turning into The Night of the Living Dead and that does not help. Because of this, it is very easy for the mind to slide down into a dark pit of despair. I don’t like myself when my mind starts going on that journey and at those times I struggle to find the good. How does a person stay calm and carry on when the news hits us like a high school Dodge Ball Tournament?
History shows us that people are resilient and civilizations do survive hard times. The Bubonic Plague, flu epidemics, cholera, ebola, HIV/Aids, natural disasters, Wars and terrorist attacks have all occurred and forced society to change and adapt to a new reality, and as much as we hate it-Change is GOOD. We may feel hopeless, and stuck right now, but change is occurring. We don’t know what the change will be, but it is the unknown that frightens us and can keep us from moving forward. It is creativity that will help push us forward.
Most are taught that creativity is something that certain people are born with and it is an inherent gift. I do not believe this. We are all born with an imagination and it is through this imagination that creativity is formed. It’s the execution of it that is lacking. This pandemic has forced many into quarantine and isolation, there is no one to tell them that their ideas are absurd. Therefore, there are no limitations put on the mind. Anything is possible when there is no one telling you it can’t be done.
I can’t wait to see all the creativeness that will blossum from this period of time. When people are out in the public they may feel judged by others and the brain goes into a self-monitoring mode putting a muzzle on new ideas or aspirations. The fear of being rejected for their thoughts, ideas, and visions stifle the creativity that resides in everyone. Creative people have a way of turning off the self-monitoring mode of their brain and this allows for the imagination to be unleashed. There are going to be some powerful ideas, dreams, art, books, technology and scientific innovation that comes out of this time of isolation and despair.
Imagination is the breath of creativity. It is what sparks it into life and we all have that ability to imagine. With imagination and creativity, innovation happens, and innovation is the future. The future is waiting for us to invent it. It is ours to create what it will be. We can either take this time and wallow in it and fear that the end of the world is near, or we can create something new and powerful and produce a future that can be AMAZING.
Let your imagination run free while being cooped up in closed quarters and it will create a creative spark. Don’t be afraid of it and ignore that self-monitoring portion of your mind. You’re in quarantine, no one’s looking except the cat. Create something.
