What have you learnt from this pandemic?

[pawsies]

For me I am a naturally cautious person and tend to think of worst case scenarios on a daily basis. I am a catastrophiser.

Therefore I'm very reluctant to book things far in advance. I wouldn't book a holiday years in advance. Maybe months but more likely weeks.

This pandemic has reinforced that. I can't see myself booking a holiday for 2022/2023. I want to go away in January but probably won't book anything until December.
Seeing the hassle people have had to go through to get money back/travel insurance etc puts me off booking anything earlier.

What about you?

That the human race on the whole are selfish bastards.

I've also been surprised at the number of people on here who are keen to 'report' their neighbours.

Did you only start reading in April or something?

"Log it with 101" was a common pre covid Mumsnet trope. This site is awash with curtain twitchers

The sense of entitlement and 'the rules don't apply to me because I'm special' in society is incredible.

The unwillingness of people to self inform and find out rather than just wait and be told what to do is also amazing!

That I have really nice neighbours and live in the right place with the right person

I will be holidaying in the UK for at least the next 2 years (and I’m going to enjoy it) I’ve learned how to reconnect with friends and will continue to
Do this. I’ve learned that a better work-life balance is possible and that working from home is so easy. I’ve learned even more about saving money.

And that people on here think most people on here are under 40 with kids in Junior school. I've seen people saying "dont worry, most people who are fit ander 40 dont get covid, so you will be fine"...when probably most people on here are over 50 and with some sort of health issue.

That I really don’t need to be within walking distance of a shop. With careful planning and weekly shopping, I’ve not had need to set foot in a shop since March.

That my 14yo ds is actually quite a nice person when the stress of school is taken out of the mix.

Who my real friends are.

That I thought I was a people person but actually I’ve enjoyed being at home.

That some people are very selfish.

That some people are very kind and caring and helpful.

That there are some lovely walks and bike rides near where I live that I never knew of before.

That we can live a simpler life and be happy.

That I love my little family even more than I thought I did.

That I hate the Tories even more than I thought I did.

That the people who I thought were strong and could cope are actually quite fragile and easily broken. See also, people who I thought were of reasonable intelligence are actually not so bright.

That supermarkets are run better than the NHS.

That I could cheerfully stop the TV licence and never miss the utter drivel that we are presented with everyday....except DP wont let me.

The mass loss of common sense surprised me.

For me it’s reinforced what I’ve learnt in cbt about health anxiety and catastrophising (is that a word??). I was so anxious before lockdown, I genuinely thought my parents, in-laws and one of my children would die. Obviously this isn’t over, but it’s shown me I don’t have to assume the worst all the time.

It’s also shown me I really enjoy spending time with my kids, and as a result have cut down on extra-curricular activities to allow more family time.

It's really highlighted to me that all the things I thought I needed in a place to live (local area) aren't actually important to me at all. And I want to move back to the countryside.

That my neighbours are lovely people.

That the general population is even more stupid than I first thought, and my initial opinion was very low.

That people are more selfish and arrogant than I ever thought they were.

That our government, and all opposing parties, are useless and untrustworthy (and I wasn't keen before)

Basically - any faith I had in our country and humanity has been obliterated.

That I like my own (and DH's) company so not fussed about meeting up with friends.

That some people are complete and utter arseholes - who the hell goes for a country walk or picnic and leaves their rubbish lying around all over the place, thereby trashing the beautiful place they want to go to? Actually, it appears to be people who, unless there is a global pandemic, are quite happy to sit in their houses watching TV all day before going to the pub with their mates.

Many people are a bit (lot) thick. There was a programme of R4 yesterday about the conspiracy theories surrounding vaccines. I could have wept.

Many people are not very resilient. Most of us have very little idea of what a truly hard life entails. We always expect someone else to sort our problems out.

Some people bandy the phrase 'human rights' about, without the slightest understanding of what it actually means.

Most of our current politicians are incapable of making the UK a better place.

There is a real lack of critical thinking in the population. Have heard many saying they think 'Boris' is doing a good job

There appears to be scant regard among many for doing the decent thing, i.e. taking your rubbish home with you, not playing loud music in your house/garden until the early hours.

The NHS needs a serious overhaul.

I worry too much about most things.

Spending time in nature is good for mental health.

I like 'old-fashioned' things like crochet, gardening, cooking.

I believe social media can be very damaging.

A huge positive is that I have raised two amazing young adults that I enjoy spending time with. On the flip side, I HATE my job and maybe my entire career and am not keen at all on where I live.

That people do not value the BBC. It's not perfect, but compared to other countries broadcast media it is so much better. We will not realise how important the BBC is until we lose it.

The fact that so many people seem to prefer to get their news from unsourced social media says volumes.

That the world needs to take sanctions against China to stop them bringing the entire planet to a halt like this ever again

That the UK is full of hypochondriac ignorant snowflakes who are happy to deny their children an education, and refuse to go back to work but will happily join in demonstrations; go the pub or sit on a packed beach; go abroad on cheap holidays because they are entitled to "a break" and become the gestapo for anyone breaking the rules whilst explaining that the rules don't apply to them personally because they are "exempt".

And I fucking hate wearing a face nappy.

People are selfish pricks and just nasty.
Humans are arseholes.

I'm more resilient than I thought. Shielded alone since mid March so over 4 months
Couldn't get a food delivery for nearly a month but managed
People don't understand hidden illnesses or that shielding doesn't = elderly or disabled

That I’m just not cut out to be a mum. I have zero patience.

That I want to get back in a classroom as soon as I can.

That people are unable to risk assess.

That life is for living, and that dying is a part of life.

That I want to move back to a city because the rural life is not for me and I need urban life going on around me.

That the Government don't give a shit that I've lost most of my income even though I've worked full time and paid taxes for 30 years (other than 5 months off to have my daughter) so I need to save as much money as I possibly can in the future rather than spending it.