The van diemen decameron
Thoughts on lockdown

Waking slowly

A strange feeling evident

Hard to say what it is

Or rather isn’t

An awareness of something different

An awareness of nothing

Stillness - quietness

A strange sound

Not because of what it is

rather what it isn’t

The road is quiet

No rushing sounds

No metal boxes racing past

No harsh drumming of movement and speed

Rather no sound

The intensity of the absence of noise

Sounds of silence in the real world

The urban world hushed

The power of silence revealed

-

But no

wait

Indistinct at first

In the distance

But gathering intensity

There is sound,

not harsh

The sounds of nature

Intrusions of a gentler kind

Bird sound

Songs of life

Songs of celebration

Magpies greeting the morning

Rejoicing in the joy of being

Being alive

celebrating the fact

Sharing it with the world

The mornings are slower now

Sleep is deep and long

the need to rush has slowed and diminishing

Breakfast is now a communal rather than singular activity

People are now communicating and reconnecting

Families reforming as a group rather than individuals rushing about

Reconnecting

Friends from the present and voices from the past

-

Days have been restructured

Work is reorganised

school is now a joint activity at home

around the kitchen table

Together

Learning is a family event

History in action

Lived history

A shared history to hopefully be remembered

As in the past

The kitchen and the backyard are the meeting places

family connections are reforming and rebuilding

The essentials of a good life being re-evaluated

Evaluating and celebrating life

A slower speed

A forced containment

Cleanliness is next to godliness they say

And now cleanliness is the god

Life has changed and will change

There is no disputing that change is here

Change is not easy

But now it is mandatory

Discussion on it’s structure is still ongoing

And adapting is not easy

Necessary but not easy

Change that will go on into the future

If we are to have a future

-

The resilience of people has been tested

The time of change has arrived

A new order reflecting past values that are re emerging

Family values and community values

Moving back from the individual

Back to the group supporting the individual

The sum of the parts is greater

2020 will be remembered as a time of change

A time of fear

A fear of the unknown

A time of loss and and a time of challenges unprecedented

For all its technology mankind has been levelled by the smallest creature

by a humble virus

Doing what viruses do

The natural order of life intruding on the artificial order of man

to awaken and shock the arrogance of mankind

The year of fires - of floods - of pestilence

Biblical dimensions in a pagan world

2020 the Armageddon of the modern age

-

But this is a time for review not despair

To celebrate resilience and community

The spirit of man

The joy of life

Time to stop

The “pause” in place

review time

A time that had to happen and now we are living through it

The time to remind each other what it means to be human

To remind us of our place in the universe

To remind us of our arrogance and weakness

But also celebrate our “humanness”

To look at others as part of the whole not individuals separate

Time to give the planet a chance to draw breath and renew

To look at and confirm basic human values

To value humanity and nature over artificial mammon

-

Life will continue after the “virus”

YES It will look different

hopefully

It will not be “business as usual”

it cannot be

Hopefully we will reset and be better for it

Reset priorities and reconnect with values

Reconnect with each other

Reconnect with our natural world

Looking forward to working together for a common goal

Not transient monetary or political outcomes

but bigger values

outcomes for our species and its continued existence

Beyond just our small lifetimes

To reunite in the sense and joy of being human

Of being alive and valuing that life

To reconnect with the natural world

Reconfirming that we are an integral part of it

we have forgotten this in the modern world we created

Celebrate being alive

Of being part of a bigger thing than just day to day existence

To reconnect with life at a basic and spiritual level

To reconnect with each other and all sentient beings we share our world with.


Written June, 2020

Dr Geoff Wilmshurst spent 40 years as a professional teacher in disability education. He now spends his time travelling , writing and painting, and enjoying life with his wife Lorraine. He lives in the Blue Mountains in NSW, and finds inspiration for his work in its environment and that of similar places such as Tasmania and New Zealand. He hopes through art and poetry to connect with others, to make a positive difference in their lives, and to share the experience of what it means to be human and part of the natural world.