MANGAWHAI'S NO.1 NEWSPAPER
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The view past the virusWe need to recognise the opportunity behind the tragedy, writes ROB POOLEY Over the past two months we have fended off a barrage of rabid and emotive media reports, statistics, analyses, conspiracy theories, innuendos and accusations relating to Covid-19 so now let’s look past all that to the most important aspect – people. The prospect of a long weekend finds favour with most but an enforced homestay of a month or more wears thin for many. Being an enforced babysitter for more than a weekend at a time can become boring. Not being able to attend sports or socialise with friends becomes frustrating and some relationships, already fraying, can reach breaking point, evidenced by the sharp rise in domestic violence over the past month. On the other hand, how many couples have relished the opportunity to sleep in, long into daylight hours, glorying in the prospect of not having to rise at 6am to attend to breakfast, school lunches, drop-offs or spending hours in city gridlocked traffic? How many parents have sat down and talked with their children rather than to them and found their ten to 15-year-olds are much more worldly wise than themselves a couple of decades ago? How many parents have really known what their youngsters are learning at school and realised these are young adults who have opinions on and understanding of things such as politics, climate change, sports, finance and even sex? How many couples have just sat and talked for a couple of hours, late mornings, over coffee, and decided they could remodel their kitchen or extend the deck to include a spa pool? How many have thought ‘maybe we should sell this house, move elsewhere and try a new adventure in a completely new environment’? How many Mums – and possibly Dads – have enjoyed the break from work and the family laughter and togetherness and thought ‘I don’t really want to go back to work’? How many couples have watched some old movies or played some favourite old music late at night and rekindled the feelings, the emotion and the love that brought them together all those years ago but had somehow got lost in the stress we know as ‘everyday life’? With every crisis comes a degree of collateral damage but it also brings a wealth of new opportunities. It’s entirely up to you whether or not you choose to take them. |
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