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  #1  
Old Posted Sep 12, 2020, 3:14 PM
LakeLocker LakeLocker is offline
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Does anyone else feel like Canada's now a foreign entity?

Obviously that which shall not be named has flipped the whole world.

But that isn't what this thread is about.

Does anyone else feel like the social Geography of the country has changed?

I've started working from home and I have to say it is bloody amazing.

I moved to London in 2017 and hated every minute of it. Now my geography has changed entirely.

Other than for my daily exercise routines, I don't leave my apartment. Everything is ordered online. I work from home, which is amazing when I can go for a bike ride etc on my lunch hour.

My social life largely revolves around vr gaming/zoom. This to me means I get far more time for high quality socialization, with far less time wasted going to things that are a waste of time/wasting time in travel.


I've never felt like my life is so complete.

It is bizarre because for the first time in 12-15 years I have no desire to live somewhere's else.

My life appears to be in some perfect balance, I never imagined this is how it would happen.
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  #2  
Old Posted Sep 12, 2020, 5:29 PM
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I'm not understanding how the title correlates with your post, but I agree with your post nonetheless. After the first month and a half/two months of horrible fear and being destitute, my life has never been better since late April/May. I've always had mental illness, so have had years of practice developing coping skills to deal with the perpetual uncertainty of my own brain and its reactions. So when the pandemic hit and neurotypical people had to deal with uncertainty and actual existential fear for the first time ever, I felt normal for the first time in my life. That has carried on into this "new normal" for whatever reason, I guess because I've been running every day, taught myself to paint, reading books, and working out at home... but still going out to restaurants when I want and going on my usual photography adventures.

So I can see where you're coming from, just from a different lens. My life is definitely richer now than it has been for me since my last year of high school, which incidentally is the last year I was consistently happy Silver linings.
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  #3  
Old Posted Sep 12, 2020, 6:55 PM
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Haha it's like my normal life. I hope people start working from home more now. Traffic sucks.
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  #4  
Old Posted Sep 12, 2020, 7:40 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Chadillaccc View Post
I'm not understanding how the title correlates with your post ...
I had the same reaction at first, then thought about it and I'm pretty sure he means that the outside world outside his immediate personal bubble ("Canada") now feels distant and less relevant.

He used to live in Canada, now thanks to Covid he lives in his personal bubble, and what's outside it feels like a foreign entity.
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  #5  
Old Posted Sep 12, 2020, 11:17 PM
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He's an introvert. People like us are enjoying life right now. I haven't had to make up an excuse to not attend a function in months!
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  #6  
Old Posted Sep 12, 2020, 11:33 PM
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Originally Posted by vid View Post
He's an introvert. People like us are enjoying life right now. I haven't had to make up an excuse to not attend a function in months!
It's been great. And after I close my pool in a couple days, I look forward to only having to see my inlaws for Thanksgiving and Christmas lol.
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  #7  
Old Posted Sep 13, 2020, 12:14 AM
kwoldtimer kwoldtimer is offline
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He's an introvert. People like us are enjoying life right now. I haven't had to make up an excuse to not attend a function in months!
So true, so true.
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  #8  
Old Posted Sep 13, 2020, 12:35 AM
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Yes, we are living in a time like no other, it provokes questions like; how long will it last, how will it change how we live in the future, and what would happen to a child growing up in this environment (or lack of environment) for several years ?

It shows up in every aspect of society, and you get crazy headlines like this one from today:

Quote:
Conservative whip compares online Commons voting to 'swiping right' on Tinder

The parties are butting heads over how many MPs can safely be present in the chamber at one time.
https://www.cbc.ca/radio/thehouse/ch...nFDY9b92PnRwBU
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  #9  
Old Posted Sep 13, 2020, 2:38 AM
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As an introvert I am handling this better than an extrovert would. As a parent of a young child entering the toddler phase I am exhausted. It’s been amazing being home to see his milestones but very difficult working in our small townhouse.

The hardest thing though has been dealing with my parents who do not take social bubbles, social distancing or wearing masks seriously. As a result our interactions have been limited and there has been drama over them not being able to hold my son. Covid has really turned cracks in our relationship into chasms. Frankly it was a relief when we were in full lockdown and there was an excuse not to see them.
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  #10  
Old Posted Sep 13, 2020, 7:24 AM
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Society at large has heavily favored extroverts for a long time. Aganist my own inner desires and wishes I've always had to forcibly put myself out there for social functions and have maintained a relatively good hold of it for years but these months have been far more refreshing than perilous for me.

Would hate to see this level of isolation continue for significantly longer though for the sake of the newer generation, I don't think it's healthy for young children to live their lives this way. It's better for adults that have already experienced both spectrums to be given more autonomy to decide how to best allocate their level of physical social interaction.
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  #11  
Old Posted Sep 13, 2020, 3:28 PM
WarrenC12 WarrenC12 is offline
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I'm an introvert and this new "way of life" has been pretty easy to adapt to, though I've never stopped going in to work which helped with some socialization during the super-lock down period.

I don't think it's good for kids though. We need them to socialize, empathize with others, and learn to get along. A world full of inward-thinking citizens would be a total nightmare IMO.

That said, I still love urban life. I like to get out to places where there is some activity, people watch, whatever. The best services and products are going to be where the people are as well.

It's interesting to me that so many people are "waking up" to the horrors of commuting. I learned to hate it early on, and have worked way into a walking commute for years now (my wife too). Quality of life goes up significantly. Commuting should be considered work time.
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  #12  
Old Posted Sep 14, 2020, 2:24 AM
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I find Canada a foreign entity but it has little to do with COVID.

This started 20 years ago and has gotten worse as the years have gone by. This is mainly due to the rise of the Iphone. I like to refer to it as "anti-social media" as it allows people to communicate with everyone and talk to no one. People go to coffee shops and restaurants today and I don't know why they bother. r. They meet their friends or family there and spend the whole damn time texting. I remember meeting so many different and interesting people in coffee shops back in the day and now no one says a word, you might as well be in a library.

No one ever talks on the bus or even waiting for it. My God, people can't even put the damn thing down in parks, the grocery line, or even when walking their dog. It's frightening how many people under the age of 35 who were born with this technology have shockingly bad social skills.
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  #13  
Old Posted Sep 14, 2020, 6:03 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by lio45 View Post
I had the same reaction at first, then thought about it and I'm pretty sure he means that the outside world outside his immediate personal bubble ("Canada") now feels distant and less relevant.

He used to live in Canada, now thanks to Covid he lives in his personal bubble, and what's outside it feels like a foreign entity.
I appreciate the explanation. Thank you.
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  #14  
Old Posted Sep 14, 2020, 8:26 AM
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Yes, but only because I haven't lived there for eight years. Luckily, however, I have found a new sanctimonious icebox that in many ways reminds me of home.
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  #15  
Old Posted Sep 14, 2020, 12:29 PM
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No, Canada as it was 6 months ago doesn't seem foreign to me, I just miss it. A huge part of my social circle is coworkers and university friends who all work close together downtown and summer would've been filled with patios after work and large cottage gatherings.

Add on the fact that I'll probably make 40% less than last year due to lost business and missed two separate vacations, 2020 is a giant fuck you.
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  #16  
Old Posted Sep 14, 2020, 12:42 PM
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VR/Zoom is a poor substitute for in person social interaction. I have online friends, but an hour over a drink in real life is better for my sanity than more screen time. I don't have lots of friends and I only see them once in a while, but I miss that time.

I will agree that the outside world is different. I just recently started coming back to work, to be more productive with crazy loud kids interrupting too often, but there are few people on the bus, few people downtown, and I see maybe one person a day inside the office. Some days I see no one in the office and it is like being in my own last-person-on-Earth movie. Weird and surreal. Just me and work areas full of monitors and silence.
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  #17  
Old Posted Sep 14, 2020, 1:03 PM
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It doesn't feel much different for me except for the 3.5 months I was laid off. Other than that, life is pretty similar. The big thing missing is travel. I had plans top travel to Japan, Thailand and Vietnam by this time and obviously that's out for the foreseeable future. Everyday life is different but not that different. Work has its protocols but it feels like things are getting back to normal.
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  #18  
Old Posted Sep 14, 2020, 1:28 PM
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There are some negatives to working at home but overall there have been more pluses than minuses for me so I'd give it a strong 7 out of 10.

On a social level I am finding it a bit harder as I am an extrovert so I am used to gatherings big and small with friends and even strangers. I have resumed seeing friends either individually or with couples with my wife but overall I probably only have a third to just under half of the social life I had pre-pandemic.

My wife isn't really an introvert but she is less into that stuff than I am so as a result we don't really seek out opportunities as much and it's often really easy to just shelter at home with a bottle of wine and a movie on Friday and Saturday nights.

We also have a number of friends who are still antsy about the pandemic and still haven't resumed socializing even in small groups so that cuts down on things as well.
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  #19  
Old Posted Sep 14, 2020, 3:36 PM
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I'm an eINTP mostly feel introverted but when I'm comfortable I can open up and get pretty wild. I've always felt detached from mainstream Canada ... eg Canada's politics bores me, I never go to clubs, movies or watch TV, I rarely eat out (made worse by a restrictive diet), I don't go shopping. However am I detached from Canada? I actually feel more attached now that I've got a car and have seen so much of Ontario this year, from Windsor to Kingston, Parry Sound to Port Dover, Old Woman's River to Crystal Beach. I almost feel normal.

Next year I'm going to explore the rest of Canada: vanlife appeals to me.

Last edited by urbandreamer; Sep 14, 2020 at 3:50 PM.
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  #20  
Old Posted Sep 14, 2020, 3:43 PM
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Life has certainly changed this year but I have no real problem with it. I can handle just hunkering down at home with a book, TV, surfing the net or going for a walk or run, etc. If it were just me, I could do this for years. I miss certain things but the new normal is still perfectly manageable.

The real challenge for me was keeping my young kids stimulated over the last six months, especially given that they had very little contact with friends over that time. It was a constant struggle coming up with new things to do. I am extremely grateful that they're back in school... I think my wife and I did a pretty good job keeping the kids happy over the summer but they need to be learning in a formal setting, playing with friends, etc.
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