What We Lost in Lockdown

This chapter investigates a pervasive sense of loss experienced by those whose life-possibilities were curtailed due to social restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic. Many people, I suggest, experienced a loss of significant possibilities, which were—in some cases—integral to who those people were and who they sought to become. This widespread loss of possibilities, which is not captured by talk of “delaying” things or putting them “on hold” for a while, should be acknowledged by any attempt to assess the benefits and harms of lockdowns. I conclude by raising the concern that one-dimensional messaging led to a decontextualized evaluation of lockdowns, removed from a larger conception of what is of importance in our lives.