Social Isolation On Your Own Settee

‘Social isolation on your own settee’, is a line from a song we wrote last year. It was about people retreating to their living rooms to watch TV, in the 70’s, and in doing so, bringing cinema and the British Film Industry to its knees.  The 21st century has seen a huge Cinema revival: the noughties are a very sociable generation... and now, it’s all changed.

The line reads like a pre-echo, a premonition of the situation we all now find ourselves in. We wanted to Blog about the way the coronavirus pandemic is unfolding for people who are part of The Turning Tides Project (TTTP); this is the first in a series of Blogs.

Lots of people who are part of TTTP find the uncertainty, the clutter, the crowd and the noise of 21st century society very anxiety provoking. Sometimes it feels safer to be part of an isolated, excluded population that take refuge in their bedrooms and seal themselves off from the world.

Some of us worry, all of the time, about germs and others are hyper-sensitive to getting dirty. 

In mid-March, as the reality of the pandemic loomed large and lock down began, I wondered about people who are part of The Turning Tides Project and if they’d be ok with all the changes and uncertainty.  What became very clear was that a number of the people that I was most concerned about suddenly seemed more at home, more rooted, more calm.

Who are the Experts?
 These people are people who are experts in:

• Being excluded
• Isolation
• Feeling anxious about what might happen next
• Observing strict rules around social distancing
•  Avoiding travelling on public transport
• Being stuck in their own room

Almost overnight, the rest of us have been forced to experience a world that is many people’s everyday reality.  A paradoxical 'Equal Access' that I’d never imagined.

We will all learn, about ourselves and each other.

I hope that when ordinary rules return, the things we’ve all learnt will be remembered. I have no doubt that now is a time when Equal Access could become a reality… but will it remain a reality when we each return to our previous lifestyles?

When those of us who party, shop, travel, work, meet friends for chats, start new relationships and new hobbies, return to that life I hope that we will remember who isn’t there and understand more than we used to about why that happens and how it feels to be part of an isolated population.

I hope we will all have developed new and lasting expertise in simplicity, honesty, respect, generosity and that we will use what we have learnt to be the change we wouldd like to see in the world.
 
Written by Jane Williams, Published by Dom Palfreman