COVID-19 – a time of transition? (25/08/20)

 

Over the past 6 months, we have been through so much change and uncertainty and of course, it is not over yet. Slowly, we are beginning to adapt to ‘the new normal’ – it doesn’t seem as strange any more to see supermarkets and hospitals full of people wearing face coverings, it may now feel more normal not to hug our parents or vulnerable relatives and friends and to socialise in smaller groups. During the pandemic, we may have introduced positive lifestyle changes and even enjoyed the slower pace of life. As we near the reopening of schools next week, there is a sense, or a hope at least that this will signify another step towards regaining life as we once knew it. We are definitely in a time of transition, as individuals, as families, as a country and as members of a University community. But what impact has the pandemic had on our life stories?

 

In his recent NY Times Bestseller How to Master Change, Bruce Feiler discusses how major disruptions or ‘lifequakes’ as he terms them, are an integral part of human experience. He spent several years travelling all 50 USA states, collecting hundreds of life stories and analysing them for meaningful themes. He concluded three interesting points from his research: 

1. There is no such thing as a linear life in modern society, where we have one job, one relationship, one sexuality and one spirituality. 
2. Our lives are in fact, non-linear. Feiler’s data showed that we can expect to experience approximately 36 disruptors in our lives – one every 12 to 18 months. 3-5 of these in our adult life are major lifequakes that lead to massive life transitions. These are ‘autobiographical occasions’ (a term coined by sociologist Robert Zussman in 2000) – events which call us to “reflect in systematic and extended ways on who we are and what we are” .
3. The human race is perpetually in flux. The average length of a transition in response to a lifequake is 5 years and thus navigating transitions is a life skill we all need to master. 

 

For many, COVID-19 has been and still continues to be a ‘lifequake’. As Feiler states, ”we can’t ignore these central times of life; we can’t wish or will them away. We have to accept them, name them, mark them, share them” and eventually use them to move forward. What impact has COVID-19 had or does it continue to have on your life story? Although not specifically about COVID, the advice and guidance Feiler provides on navigating transitions in this book could not be more relevant right now. You can read more about the book here.