For How Many People Is the Pandemic More a Blessing Than a Curse?

I wonder how many people have been happier during these last ten months than they were before the pandemic. Some of my close friends are in that category and that’s made me wonder how many others are in the same condition.

Of course, there are millions of people for whom the pandemic has been devastating. Chief among these are the millions who have lost a loved one to Covid-19. Others have survived the disease but are struggling with enduring aftereffects. And some have lost their livelihoods and even their homes. I am not dismissive of any of those hardships.

But it’s worth noting that some people have had an entirely different experience. Many of these will acknowledge that they’ve been fortunate: their incomes have not been affected because they still have their jobs or were already retired. But in unguarded moments, some of these lucky people will allow that saying the pandemic has left them unscathed is an understatement. They’re actually better off in some ways than they were before.

One of the most prominent memes these days is how terrible 2020 has been, but for someone who is naturally introverted and whose favorite activities can be done at home or alone outdoors, the pandemic may have removed a raft of obligations and distractions that used to eat into the time available to do the things they most enjoyed.

One friend of mine is a self-described homebody who loves investigating her genealogy on Ancestry.com and has started teaching others how to do the same. She’s having the time of her life. Another friend is finding that she has more time to pursue her lifelong commitment to writing and is happily working on a screenplay.

Knowing that their Covid-induced isolation won’t last forever allows folks like these to relate to it as a kind of retreat or sabbatical.

To be sure, even for those who are comfortable with an isolated, indoor life, some conditions must be met for the pandemic to be a net-positive experience. One, of course, is that you and the people you care about remain free of the disease. Having the financial means to live comfortably is another, as is having a place to live that’s roomy enough that staying home doesn’t induce claustrophobia. And finally, it helps a lot to actually like the people you live with.

I’m not sure how many people fit all those criteria, but while it’s undoubtedly a minority, I suspect it’s more than a few. When the pandemic is over, many of them may consider carefully the degree to which they’re willing to let things entirely go back to the way they were before. In any case, they’ll likely look back on the pandemic as more a time of contentment than duress.