Hi guys! How was your lockdown? I wonder how many of you were bored and grasped at any activity to occupy your time – suddenly freed from most everyday tasks and duties that gave your lives meaning, or – at least – some kind of beacon to guide you through the day. And how many of you shared my sweetly tragic fate of having no time whatsoever for anything else but work… stuck on an uncomfortable chair, not even remotely suitable for anything other than a 2-course meal with a possible coffee without cake or unnecessary chit-chat. Leaning over a table which – despite its undoubtedly cool looks and seemingly ample size – is unable to contain the pile-upon-pile load of papers, notes, half-baked ideas, let alone my fits of frustration when the University e-learning platform does not obey the human commands.
A few months ago humanity took a strange turn on its path towards the future. Something happened and set the wheels of history in such motion that there’s no telling how deep into the darkness or how close to the light they will roll… and drag us with them. At the beginning, I have to admit, I was struck with anxiety and this kind of numbing sense of detachment that makes you feel as if you were watching a film. However, not a film that you particularly enjoy or one that you would be willing to recommend to anyone. But a film that you were somehow made to watch by a person you don’t even know or care for, through a series of events and accompanying circumstances which lead you to this grim cinema. Having been ushered to your dirty seat covered with sticky stains of gum (that’s what you hope for, anyway) you found yourself staring blindly at the screen with your coke cup soaking through and your nacho cheese dip dripping all over your favourite jeans. And it’s only the trailers…
So yes, I felt a teeny-tiny little bit overwhelmed by the whole situation. If I’m being completely honest, I had no idea what the situation was. Some of you may already know that I’m a fervent believer in the Matrix and I’m no stranger to ‘the unexplained’. Thanks to that I don’t usually experience emotions connected with shock, distress or said anxiety when faced with seemingly unexpected events. I know what I’m here for and I accept the things that come my way as steps to getting where I’m headed, or as lessons to be learnt and benefited from. As simple as that! Detachment? Yes, please. It’s one of the things I’ve been learning to master for years. Only on my terms, within my control and purely for training purposes. Observing your reactions and emotions puts you back in the driver’s seat, gives you the upper hand in most situations.
I’m fascinated with biology and nature. In fact, as a child, I even wanted to be a doctor… A dream shattered by, well… my innate laziness. So yes, I believe in the existence of bacteria, viruses and other microorganisms which we cannot see with our naked eyes, but which influence our lives to an unimaginable extent. I love the fact that technology appears to be catching up with what our physical world has in store and that it has already started to be touching upon revealing the mysteries of the, so-called, spiritual. To tell you the truth, the longer I live on this planet and the more I learn about different aspects of our ‘reality’, the more willing I am to abandon this arbitrary distinction between the physical and the spiritual. I’m leaning more towards ‘the measured’ and ‘the unmeasured’ or ‘the researched’ and ‘the unresearched’. Given that everything is simply energy, manifested in slightly different ways (i.e. characterised by different density) it’s safe to assume that there are ‘energies’ that we cannot see or measure. I think we’re way passed the absurdly arrogant stage of our evolution when we believed that only what the human eye can see is true or real. We’ve come a long way… We know that even our family dog or hamster, let alone our friendly neighbourhood pigeon, sees the world in a totally different way from how we see it, or how all other creatures do. We know it and we accept it, which means that we understand that there are things which we cannot see but which are there, nonetheless.
And indeed, why stop there? Since animals’ sense organs perceive their surroundings in a certain specific way, who’s to say that there aren’t people whose eyes see differently, whose ears hear differently, and whose noses can smell things an average person could never even notice? Of course that’s the case! I know for a fact that the red mug I see sitting there on the table, is not the same red colour you see. The thing is that I am simply unable to see the mug the way you see it, and vice versa, so that neither of us would be able to compare the shades or the difference in the depth of red on the mug.
We already treat so many aspects of a human’s identity as spectra rather than fixed and unquestionable paradigms. Autism, sexuality, gender… are but a few examples. Imagine that more features of the world we live in are spectra. Perhaps features we take for granted or those we can’t even fathom yet. The fact that a rock is objectively hard and a cotton bud is objectively (that’s a topic for a different discussion entirely) soft doesn’t mean that I feel the hardness of the rock or the softness of the bud in the same way as you do. And again: how would we compare? It’s like the unanswerable question of what hurts more: childbirth or a swift kick in the nuts. There is no way of telling. In this case there is not only the dilemma of no single human being able to experience both. Because if such a person did exist, we would not rely on his or her single opinion on the matter. We would need at least a reasonable sample of such people to get a valid point of view. Actually, we would have to question each and every person on the planet. After all, there are people who prefer having their tooth drilled by the dentist without anaesthetic while dreading the thought of getting the said anaesthetic injected into their gums. And there are others, for whom the opposite is true. If there are thresholds for pain, there are thresholds for other senses. Hence, my claim for letting go of the misleading nomenclature of the physical and the spiritual (or supernatural) as we know it.
There are many mundane things that ‘don’t exist’ because we don’t see them, until they come to being once we change our focus. I’m sure it’s happened to you on several occasions. Remember when you were looking at clouds seeing just that – a cluster of clouds – until your mate told you to look closer or slightly from the side, tilting your head or squinting your eyes? And ta-dam! Suddenly you saw that elephant or the Black Pearl lurking in the sky? A simple but effective trick. Our brains are wired in a certain way and we already know (through extensive empirical study) that we are able to rewire our brains to perceive our reality from a different angle, to change the programmes that have been imposed on us by the society, religion, parents, our mates, the media… you name it. Yet a whole bunch of instances of powers which we cannot touch or see, and which unfailingly shape us, thus controlling or determining our behaviours, emotions, reactions, and choices we make every single day. We call it conditioning. I’m not saying that these programmes are good or bad – they are what they are. What I’m saying is that they are there and if we don’t like them, we can change them. Although not easy, it’s definitely simple.
To sum up, there are many things – microorganisms, energies, programmes, to name but a few – which have tremendous impact on our lives, both good and bad. It’s all very well, but what the frack does Godzilla have to do with all that?, you may ask. Let me explain.
The creature is anything but invisible. I’m aware of that. However, I see some similarities between coronavirus (or any life-threatening virus for that matter) and Godzilla.
Firstly, they’ve both been here for quite some time, invisible until they came to the surface, got a name and paralysed our cities, towns and villages… as well as our brains.
Secondly, the state of pandemic may be viewed from two extremely different aka opposing angles. It made me think of the monster and the two perspectives he’s seen from. Or rather, two perspectives he’s shown from. Depending on the Godzilla films you’ve seen, you’ll either consider him an evil character destroying Tokyo with his dragon-like flames, or a hero fighting against other monsters that are trying to wipe out humans. We all know that a lot of images we have of Godzilla are often projections of American directors attempting to make the monster more palatable or more convincing as a monster. If you want to read about some misconceptions about Godzilla visit: https://www.toplessrobot.com/2012/02/9_misconceptions_people_have_about_godzilla.php
Anyway, this is quite the way I feel about corona and the pandemic. Of course, I empathise with the families who have lost their loved ones to the virus. I feel deeply for anyone who has suffered and, indeed, is still suffering or living in constant fear, or risking their lives to help others in this uncertain time. The virus, undoubtedly, has the potential to kill. I don’t want to come across as insensitive or ignorant and I don’t intend to discuss the medical aspect of the whole thing. I am, however, going to point to some social aspects.
Nevertheless, destructive as the virus may be, a lot of people, including yours truly, can see the whole pandemic as an opportunity to re-evaluate their lives, or at least some of their aspects: life styles, relationships, expectations, or even needs. Surely, most of us were missing proper face-to-face human interactions during lockdown and I think it’s a wonderful thing! It means we care. I know it may seem obvious… but is it? Well, not really. Ironically, the fact that we’ve had our Skype, Whatsapp, Messanger and other communicators available at all times made it easier – and conveniently so – to be perhaps a bit dismissive of our friends and family. ‘I don’t feel like going to this family get-together / that school reunion / my great-aunt’s birthday party / those drinks with colleagues…’ Liking a few photos on Facebook or sending a heartfelt gif or emoji in the dedicated communication group will do… this time. Oh, how fullish and naive we were! Suddenly, when we can’t participate in such events, all the communicators – though great as tools they are – are simply not enough.
Shopping online? Yes, please! Perfect… oh, wait! What do you mean all shopping centres are closed until further notice? I love Netfilx – I have it all: Amazon Prime, Canal+, Disney Channel, HBO GO, HBO STOP! You’re telling me that I can’t go to the cinema like a normal person?! What’s your deal, man?…
Can I get you a coffee? Would you like robusta, vanilla, maybe Vietnamese with condensed milk, from an Italian coffee maker, drip or Aeropress? I love my ritual of preparing coffee for myself and my guests. Are you sure they are closing all the cafes? That’s outrageous!
In my 20 years of living in Poznań I’ve been to the theatre maybe 3 times. They closed theatres during lockdown… I need to go, like, right now – I love the theatre!
Do you see where I’m going with this? Precisely. I know it’s partly human nature that forces us to crave what we can’t have. Quite childishly, too. However, this sudden deprivation of things we once took for granted makes us appreciate those things even more. Again, I think it’s great. We needed such a thorough shakedown test. Or, indeed, at least for some people – a crash test.
I’m not saying that lockdown was great. The long-term health, economic and social repercussions are way beyond our capabilities as far as predictions go. There are not enough drugs in the world for our prophets to be able to reach that high and far.
This thing is huge and, as is the case in every crisis, some will win and some will lose. Which brings us to the idiomatic phrases I wanted to share with you. Behold, idioms and collocations connected with winning and losing.
WINNING
win someone’s heart – to court or woo someone and charm them so that they fall in love with you
win the day – to become the hero in a difficult situation
win (something) hands down – to succeed or beat your competitors easily, effortlessly; you may also hear: win in a walk / breeze
win the battle, but lose the war or lose the battle, but win the war – an expression which needs no explanation to those among you who regularly engage in RPGs or other strategic games; you can choose to assume either of the strategies, obviously
you win some, you lose some – that’s life, I guess. It means that you will win in some situations and fail in others. It’s an expression often used to console or comfort someone who’s actually lost some lately
you can’t win them all – see: previous entry
win (somebody/something) back – to regain somebody or something after having lost them. If not in some gambling contexts, when a guy loses his family house to a casino, you may hear the phrase in more romantic endeavours, when a guy lost his woman to a worthier warrior
win (somebody) over – to gain someone’s support, appreciation, or favour; to persuade somebody to your point of view or idea
win ugly – gain victory by hard work and proper struggle with a lot of ups and downs on the way to success
win (something) by a whisker / a nose / a hair / a neck / the skin of your teeth – …the last one being undoubtedly the weirdest of them all… to succeed or defeat someone in something by only a very narrow margin
a win-win situation – a situation with no losers, so both parties win… dangerously close to a compromise – some may argue that a compromise is a lose-lose situation, though
play to win – to undertake a task with the primary goal of achieving success, as if losing was not an option
winning streak – a series of consecutive successes or victories; a run of good luck
catch a break – to get relief from some difficulty or – in fact – a series of difficulties or problems
no pain, no gain – a grossly overused phrase desperately striving to force motivation in people engaged in some arduous feat of physical endurance
where there’s a will, there’s a way – an expression used to denote that if someone has the determination and zeal to achieve a certain goal, they will find a means to reach it
hit the jackpot – to become unexpectedly and notably successful; similar to hit the mother lode – to find or produce something that is bound to make you rich, successful and/or happy
third time lucky (BrE) / the third time’s the charm (AmE) – used when you have failed to do something twice and you hope to succeed in it at the third attempt; it tends to be modified to account for the number of your failed trials: sixteenth time’s a charm… if need be
if at first you don’t succeed (dust yourself off and try again) – another bumper sticker slogan meaning that you shouldn’t give up if you fail to do something first time around
LOSING
get the wooden spoon – come last in a competition (is it losing? It means you’re a finisher, doesn’t it?)
have nothing to lose – it may mean that no consequences will follow if you lose or fail… or that you are simply desperate. Either way, you may just go ahead and try!
have too much / a lot to lose – stands on the opposite side of this risk-taking continuum; it means that you shouldn’t attempt to engage in the endeavour, since failing might lead to dire consequences
lose face – usually connected with some (mostly public) embarrassment or humiliation, it means to lose status or prestige, to become less respectable
lose ground – to fall behind, lose one’s position or a previously held advantage or lead
lose your head – become so worried that you fail to think or act in a sensible way
lose heart – to become discouraged, demotivated or altogether pessimistic; especially now, a lot of people may lose heart when forced to work remotely, being out of work, or living in a perpetual state of anxiety
lose it – I love it when phrases or idioms have the mysterious ‘it’ in them! This particular expression has a few meanings: 1. to lose an ability or skill (you may be more familiar with it’s positive counterpart: ‘I still got it!’); 2. to lose control of one’s emotions, get angry, lose one’s temper, lose one’s cool; 3. to vomit (‘Why is the boat rocking so hard? I think I’m going to lose it…’)
lose one’s touch – practically a synonym of the first meaning of ‘lose it’; when you lose your touch (with a given ability) you are no longer able to do or handle something (the said ability) as skilfully as you used to: Look how Stefan messed up this project! He’s totally lost his touch.
lose touch with someone – to gradually decrease frequency of communication with someone until no further contact takes place
lose one’s marbles – simply put: to go insane / crazy, to go berserk / bananas / nuts, to lose one’s buttons, to flip out… you catch my drift
lose your nerve – to become frightened or timid, to no longer have the courage to do something; similar to get cold feet – which means that you’re losing courage to do something that you planned to do, you chicken out (very often associated with brides – or grooms – being unable to go through with their weddings)
lose someone to something – typically referring to a specific disease, i.e. if you lose someone to a particular disease, they die as a result of this disease: Jack lost his mother to cancer.
lose weight – if only, right? One of the top 5 (top 2 perhaps) New Year’s resolutions since the beginning of humans and body image issues
lose the way – to become unable to find the right course forward; a common variation: get lost – however, this one is also used to express that someone is not welcome: Get lost, Martin! Leave me alone, man! But: Martin got lost in the woods… after he was told to get lost. He took it at face value.
lose sight of someone or something – we can understand the phrase literally, i.e. to no longer be able to see somebody or something due to increased distance from them or an obstruction of view; however, there is a more subtle meaning to it: to forget about or neglect to focus on something
lose patience – to become irritated or annoyed with somebody or something
lose (one’s) tongue – to suddenly become unable to speak, typically due to shock or confusion; there is also an informal expression used to ask someone why they are not saying anything: Cat got your tongue?
Naturally, there are many other phrases connected and collocating with winning and losing. Nevertheless, I think that it’s enough for this post. I’m off to work – ZOOM fatigue isn’t going to develop itself. Seems that another lockdown is looming over the city… much like Godzilla.
Be safe and stay healthy, guys!