I was reading a post about isolation. It stated that Isaac Newton, when forced to quarantine due to the plague, he used the time wisely. He invented calculus, developed his theory of gravity and of optics. He used the 18 months of quarantine Newton was busy.
I am hoping my time in quarantine is much shorter than 18 months. I am not sure I would quite last that long. I am quite positive though that if I spent 18 years in quarantine, I would not invent anything as important as calculus or propose theories which will be discussed almost 400 years later. I like to think I have some intelligence, but I do know my limitations. Any discoveries I make will be a surprise to me only. Unlike Isaac Newton, my discoveries won't surprise the world.
Newton developed calculus in isolation. What have I developed in my seven weeks of staying safe? What have I accomplished?
In some ways, I haven't done very much. I have watched more movies on Netflix. I have eaten more. I have read a bit more. I finally did the monumental task of merging my Australian iTunes account with my Canadian iTunes account and getting my music library and photo library organized. I cleaned out my closet and my desk. I suppose if I had 16 months more in quarantine, I could invent the next calculus. However I don't think I will.
That's ok. Psychologists tell us that during quarantine we should be kind to ourselves. Ordinary things will take longer to do. We won't have as much energy as we normally do. We are adjusting to what this virus has managed to change in our lives. We are mourning loss of time with our families. We are mourning events that we have had to cancel. We are worried about all those who have lost their livelihoods or are temporarily unemployed. We are mourning what was and wondering what tomorrow will bring. I don't need to rival Isaac Newton. I just need to worry about keeping myself and those around me safe. It's the least we can do.
