The Impossible Timeout
By: Claire Parsons I haven’t left my house in over a month, you probably haven’t either. Life during the COVID-19 crisis can, for those of us who aren’t essential workers, feel like the world has frozen. I am a Toronto resident and therefore I am used to the bustling lifestyle and constant traffic. However, recently the streets around me have never been safer to drive. The storefronts are papered up, some even boarded to protect the contents inside. Those still with glass are bare and always dark. Flour, eggs, and yeast have been added to the list of essential groceries that have suddenly found value equal to gold. The people out for walks in the street are skittish and stand six feet apart in line for their prescription, to pick up dinner, or get a loaf of bread. It can, at times, feel like the end of the world. I have never lived through an apocalypticfeeling time before but there is something strange about a cataclysmic crisis. There is solidarity in standing six feet apart from someone, a certain knowing in the eyes of a neighbour about the difficulties of the modern day. That is the
fascination I have with dark times, there is a strong current of humanity among all of the awful. I call it the Impossible Timeout. There is something about global chaos that solves everyday issues that seem to be unsolvable at any other time. For example, some of the most difficult and tense relationships between countries have been set aside in order to address the communal issues of COVID-19. Russia has sent its largest cargo plane to the US packed full of medical supplies in order to accomodate for the shortages the US is experiencing. The Russian Embassy even released a statement saying that “there is no alternative to working together.” In a similarly uncharacteristic move from the deeply protectionist state, China has also taken a deeply humanitarian approach to the crisis. Just a few weeks ago, a Chinese technological company sent tens of thousands of ventilators to Italy. Across each box was written the Roman writer, Seneca’s, phrase: “we are waves from the same sea, leaves from the same tree, and flowers from the same garden.” During this time of difficulty, countries that are deeply antagonized internationally have stepped into the light as page 10
