Sitting at my desk every day, working on school work, I am afraid to look outside my window and once again, see the streets eerily empty. When my friends and I video chat, we always end up reminiscing about the “good old days” when we took normal for granted. Our late night coffee runs, early morning movies (since the tickets were cheaper), and so many other experiences we might never have again. 

No more senior prom, graduation seems like a dream and all those last moments that we were supposed to be experiencing right now, are gone. Everything is grey and sad. 

The few times we go out for groceries, I am reminded that life as we knew it has changed so drastically. People stand six feet apart to gain entry into the shops. Once, when someone sneezed, we would say “bless you” for good measure. Now, the people who dare to sneeze in public are looked at no worse than a criminal. Cashiers do not smile, everyone moves at hostile speed to get out of the crowded areas, humans are afraid of other humans. 

Every social media site, news site, sponsored ad all say the same thing. COVID-19 has hit the pause button on the world. 

My peers are constantly on Instagram, Snapchat and Twitter, complaining about how the Coronavirus has disrupted our lives. But while I agree that it has disrupted our schools, colleges and interactions with friends, I feel as if some people miss a large point. 

The fact that we can complain about these occurrences, sitting in our rooms, waiting for our parents to call us down to dinner, already proves how much of an advantage we have over the rest of the world. COVID-19 has not only disrupted governments and businesses, but those who make ends meet on a daily basis. Their daily income, gone. Their forms of financial security, gone. Their chances at better lives for their children, gone. 

As we parade around on social media, complaining about our boredom, we forget that there is someone out there, unsure of where he or she is going to college, or whether college is even an option anymore. Millions of people are filing for unemployment, desperately waiting for that stimulus check to come, so that they can put food on the table. 

If social distancing and self-quarantine have done anything positive, they have given us time to think. To think about how lucky we are to be pressing that “accept” button on our college status page. To think of how sure we are of our next meal, our next chat with friends. And to think about how many people cannot do those things because the world is in shambles.

Everyone is living through history, but only the lucky few are living on the comfortable side of history.