The silver lining is that I have a golden opportunity to answer one of my most common TOA-related questions - how long does it take to write a post? The question, well-intended though it might be, suffers from the common error that a simple question merits a simple answer, at least in process terms - shouldn't I be able to assign each minute of these endless days to some task, the entire allocation rounding out to an even twenty-four hours, then report the exact proportion of TOA time? The problem is that nothing is ever so straightforward - even this post, which I've claimed started at 7:37 (twelve minutes ago) was preceded by some thinking beforehand, which occurred as I separated salmon from the baking sheet. So did I really start at 7:37, or was it a few minutes earlier? You don't need to ask me; it's up to you.
The challenge for determining any duration, whether it be for writing or anything else, always comes back to the question of what we actually mean when we ask - how long? Do you want to know how long I've been typing, how long I've been thinking, or is it something else? The catch is, when I'm asked this question - how long? - the only thing I'm sure of is that my answer doesn't matter. The process of writing, I'd argue, should at least acknowledge that some part of the work is already done before the first word finds its place on the page, but this is hardly the universal perspective - it doesn't square up with the way I perceive most people think about duration, which is rooted almost entirely in a protagonist's definition of action. If you aren't sure what I mean, spend some time tomorrow (safely) asking people how long the pandemic has lasted - you'll almost certainly get a starting point centric to the first disruption in that person's "normal life". If you follow up and ask about the possible ending, you'll likely notice a similar loyalty to the standard of "normal life" built into the response; the pandemic will end when "normal life" has resumed. The way we think about how long, despite the occasional token effort to do otherwise, seems unlikely to move away from this construction that places each individual on the center stage of his or her life, where any attempt at introspection is framed by a series of actions or interactions; the inner life and all its components - hopes, dreams, expectations - play at best a bit-part role.
This fully understandable approach to life is what I fear holds us back from reaching our potential - by defining experience within the sequence of encounters with the world around us, we become unknowingly limited by the chance and circumstance of our surroundings while neglecting the unique perspective of essence and presence. Is it possible that the difficult situation created by the pandemic - where almost all of us are entirely powerless as individuals to make a meaningful difference to these overwhelming circumstances - is partly exacerbated by our insistence on explaining ourselves in terms of an actor playing the starring role in life's eternal drama, which leaves no room for the life of the mind? I'd say, as I noted above, that this might be a problem worth the difficult task of honest self-reflection because it gives us the capability of separating what's happened to us from what's happened because of us; we can look forward in the same way and thrive in the reality of the moment. For some of us, it will become clear that the pandemic started well before March 2020, perhaps by as much as months or even years, thanks to a commitment to certain routines, identities, or delusions that plotted us on the isolating path of self-imposed exile; for others, we'll see the situation was over almost as soon as it began, the new requirements of pandemic life proving the ripest opportunity to welcome a new pet, explore a new hobby, or rewrite the final chapter in long-lost connections and relationships.
How long do I think the pandemic will last? The possible answers are endless. I'm tempted to say it will last as long as this post - it will last until it ends, taking up all the time it needs. It could be that the pandemic will end when everyone is vaccinated, or when enough people are vaccinated, or when all the vaccines are gone. It's possible it might end, then return, in a part two that some would insist was really still a part of the original pandemic. But the real answer is that I'm not sure why you'd ask me, since you'll probably disagree with any and all of my answers. How long does anything last when our hearts and minds are at the center stage of everything? You'll certainly disagree with my real answer, which is that I think it ended a couple of weeks ago, at the exact moment I let go of some unhealthy ideas. Maybe the best answer is just what you need to hear - you don't need to ask me; it's up to you.
Endnote
It's 8:07 now - five minutes of proofreading, five more for some basic admin, and that should do the trick. Maybe I should call this post "Forty", though of course it'd have nothing to do with the time.
Endnote #2
With apologies, I came back for a little more editing, which expanded into some serious renovations. Just remember, reader, whatever I say about how long it takes to write these, multiply the answer by 1.5.
