We hear a lot about the old, protecting our seniors and I understand and I’m not saying just let them die but there is a problem I’m having with all the measures that are being taken to do that and the forgotten ones within those measures.

What about today’s youth? What about the little kids? What about the psychological trauma they will carry with them because of this? Possibly for the rest of their lives, even. And what about other issues they’ll have because they’re not able to read people’s faces, watch the way we build words with our mouth, how many small children haven’t seen the faces of the people taking care of them in daycare centers? How can anyone seriously believe that they won’t end up with psychological scars because of those measures? And they’ll probably have some issues when it comes to speech.

Why isn’t anyone talking about that? Why are so very few people worried about that? Why doesn’t it concern more people that we might be seriously damaging an entire generation? They have their whole lives in front of them. This is not okay.

What about the people living alone? Does anyone care about them? Does anyone care what those measures do to them?

I know how I felt isolated, misunderstood and like a criminal at times.

The masks are difficult for me to wear for several reasons, as I’ve mentioned before, but I do it, because I’m someone who sticks to the rules and there is still a part of me that worries that I might get someone I care about sick if I don’t. So I wear them to make sure my family is safe from me.

I’m also an introvert and a loner, so not leaving my apartment much to socialize was not that difficult for me. I actually kind of thrived during the first quarantine.

But I live alone. I’m single and I have no pets. My own family members refused to hug or touch me, always making sure to keep their distance… do you know how that feels? One year after everything started, my mom made an “exception” for my birthday and hugged me. I haven’t hugged my sister in almost two years. She won’t touch me, but has no issues with me carrying around her little children… where is the sense in that? I spent a lot of time thinking about it, but I have yet to find it. My sister is not high risk, far from it but she refuses to hug me. Yet, both my grandmothers, who are over 80 years old hug me every time they see me.

Thankfully, I have some family members who see it the same way I do. I could get my physical contact through them.

I can’t even imagine how people who don’t have that must be feeling.

And just to clear that up too, I like my personal space. I’m also very selective with whom I let touch me. But there was a point during the lockdown I would’ve been willing to hug a complete stranger.

Humans need physical contact. We need that nonverbal connection.

Just like we need to be able to see people’s faces so that we can read their mimics.