hoping for love and acceptance Stephen Lidbetter
E
ver noticed that people always have dreams? Something innate within us moves us to set our sights on what could be—the athlete who dreams of the gold, the artist who dreams of being world-famous, and the Oxford student who dreams of the first, the blue or the spouse. Because there’s something coming, there has to be—or so we tell ourselves. Life’s alright now, but once I have that first, I’ll be set for life. Once I get a blue, I’ll be accepted. Once I find a relationship, I won’t feel quite so alone. And of course, right now we’re all dreaming of the day when lockdown ends, when there’s a coronavirus vaccine, and when we can actually see our friends and families again—Zoom is a poor substitute for being with those we love. In fact, a large part of what makes lockdown so hard is that loss of human connection. The isolation and loneliness that comes with being indefinitely separated from others gives rise to a genuine sense of hopelessness. And so, we do what we always do—we look to the future. We read about the COVID-19 vaccine trials, we start guessing about when lockdown will end, and we plan the party we’re going to have as soon as large gatherings are allowed. We dream about seeing people again. Even the most introverted of us aren’t very good at being alone. We all have a deep longing for emotional connection—the kind
14
