Will Society Appreciate the Meaning of Life When Self- Isolation is Over?

5 min readMar 26, 2020

Jennifer has a B.A. in Communications. She is an expert with self- help. She studied two years of marriage an family therapy.

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The American Dream

To many Americans they want to live the American Dream. What is the American Dream you ask? It is where people are successful with risk-taking, hard work and not just by luck. An example of living the American dream is being financially independent, being an entrepreneur etc.

History of Marriage

Marriage was first invented in 2350 B.C. in Mesopotamia. It then led into a widespread of the Greeks, Hebrews and Romans. At the time it had nothing to do with love nor religion. It’s main purpose was to bind women and guarantee that a man was biologically his. Religion became involved in 1563 when the sacramental nature of marriage was written into cannon law. It was not until much later that love entered the picture.

Marriage Before 2020

It was very uncommon in the past for a women to be single at 30 years old. In history there were arranged marriages. Then many years later if a women was still single by a certain time, society would look at her as if something was wrong with her. Society would often place a timeline that women had to get married and have children at a certain age.

Society in 2020

Now times have changed in 2020. Have they changed for the better or the worse? They may have taken a drastic turn. While some women are being entrupeners which is great there are many people that put money and career above family and relationships. Why can’t you have both? Isn’t that the American Dream? Being successful and being able to share your life with someone? What good is having all the money and value in the world if you have no one to share it with? What good is having all that money if on you are spending every holiday by yourself?

I always find it so sad when I hear people saying “I don’t want a relationship. I am concentrate on myself right now.” I mean that’s great having goals, having a job, making a living for yourself and being finically independent but isn’t one of life’s purpose to know the meaning of unconditional love? To know what it feels to love someone and love you back?

I see also so many people place values on materialistic goods. If they don’t go on a certain vacation or get a certain bag they want it is the end of the world.

Five year old’s are now playing with iPhones. I remember going outside and playing with my friends when I was a kid. When did us as society put all our energy into materialistic value and not appreciate life and the world around us?

Self-Isolation

In December of 2019 there was a Coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan, Japan. It eventually made it’s way to the U.S. The Coronavirus became a pandemic disease where if someone infected sneezed or coughs on someone close by someone else can catch it. The symptoms are; coughing, fatigue and shortness of breathe. There have been many fatal outcomes due to the Coranavirus.

In March of 2020 NY Governor Andrew Coumo signed a petition for all non-essential buisnesses to go on lockdown. He advisees everyone to stay inside, wash their hands, etc. He feels that is one way the virus can be cured while working on the decrease of the numbers of the Coronavirus.

“Gov. Cuomo dramatically ramped up New York’s coronavirus response on Friday by ordering a statewide lockdown that will shutter most businesses and places strict new restrictions on residents as the number of cases in the state surged above 7,000.

“When I talk about the most drastic action we can take, this is the most drastic action we can take,” the governor said as he ordered “non-essential” businesses to shut down starting Sunday evening.

The order will not apply to essential businesses, which includes grocery stores, banks, pharmacies and other companies critical to public health and safety.

New Yorkers are to stay indoors with limited exceptions for essential jobs and errands, emergencies and solo exercise as the number of COVID-19-related deaths in the state rose to 35.”(https://www.nydailynews.com/coronavirus/ny-coronavirus-cuomo-20200320-qrsrtcp3grfyvj5llf47cj6xoa-story.html).

How are People Reacting?

This affected everyone in everyway. People lost their job’s, other people couldn’t get married because of social distancing,etc. People cannot have a social life and it is even hard to have a relationship. Things will be different for awhile and that leaves me with one final question.

What will happen when it is all over?

So that leaves me with one final question: How will society be when this is all over? Will be still continue to be focused only on themselves and not wanting a relationship or family? Or will they understand that they could have the best of both worlds? Will they see that in life there is enough to go around that family and a relationship is not so bad?

Will they see that there is more to life than just working your way up to the top and being by yourself? Will they see that you could be on the top of the world and also have a partner in crime by your side? Will they see that just because you have a family does not mean that you are held back in life?

Will they see that opening up your emotions to someone else does not make one weak? Will people start being nicer and kinder than they were before?

Has this really opened their eyes and made them see that life is short and we need appreciate what life is about and the people who are in our lives? Rather than push them away just because we want something temporarily? Only time will tell!