"QuaranTEEN" -Thursday- 7/16/20

The COVID-19 pandemic has undoubtedly taken a large toll on the world. As a virus that seemed to be under control in the ending months of 2019, has now turned into a biological predator that preys on citizens alike. The year 2020 was supposed to be a year for renewing; change was supposed to happen, and problems were going to be solved because of the “clear vision” that 2020 gives off. But, our plans do not always align with the world. In 2020, the world had different plans for us. This year seemed to give of an insurmountable amount of problems from social injustice to the exploiting of our healthcare fields. I have read the outlines of different kinds of plans that each state gives out to fight this virus, and never have I seen insight from a teenager’s point of view. COVID-19 has an obvious impact on everybody, including the generation that has been ordered to stay at home. The world’s future leaders, providers, physicians, lawyers, activists, and more, are in the comforts of their own homes. While healthcare professionals and the various others who are contributing to the noble cause of stopping this virus, teenagers worry about what they are going to do the next day in quarantine. Without a doubt, it is imperative that quarantine is an important part in “flattening the curve”. But the toll it takes on the younger audience which includes adolescents, is just as much as the toll it takes on healthcare professionals. 

My raw perspective of this “quarantine” lifestyle is that for several months, I have been counting the days toward something exciting happening in my world that is currently a bore. I am a rising senior, which means that I only have one year left in which I am off to the world of “adulting” and being a part of the “real world”. 17 is the golden year of a teenager’s life, and unfortunately, this pandemic has stolen that from me. Instead of pursuing exciting and unpredictable adventures, I am at home, thinking about the day that I’ll get to see my friends again. And when this pandemic is more than likely over, and there is a final vaccine, I’ll for sure be in the moment that I’m ready to go to college, in which those “golden” years are yesterday’s history. It sounds selfish to say the least, because there are millions literally risking their lives in the face of this pandemic. But to think that teenagers are living a life of comfortability and carelessness, is a bold understatement. Because for me, as an individual who craves the exciting unknown, I would rather be helping out however I can to the frontlines. The quarantine life is extremely monotonous. I know what I’m going to be doing tomorrow, next week, and probably even next month. The only thing I don’t know is when this pandemic will reach an end, but I do know that I, along with everyone else, will keep the hope that it’ll be over soon.