When lockdown was introduced last year, it was a fancy term. Little did we know we would be stuck in its cycle. Lockdown proved to be a boon in our lives because we finally got the “me-time” we craved for. We are able to spend time with our family. We don’t have to dress up to work for office. We are free to bend our morning routine. We are able to cook fresh food and consume it. And most importantly while we are inside, the nature is blossoming.

But is it okay? Can we grow psychologically without existential experience? 

When a child is born, parents provide him the basic learning. The understanding of life is developed only after he starts going to school. Thanks to science that distance learning is possible but is it sufficient? It might help to complete the syllabus but can’t teach them the real lessons of life which they can learn only when they socialise with people around them and visit new places and witness new experiences. They can't even assess themselves fairly as we know the way exams are conducted now and results are manipulated.

Home is a very secure place where we are protected by our loved ones. They can guide us but we become something out of our own learnings and experiences. We can understand life and it's hardships only when we step out and face the real world.

Internet and media is our only source of information these days. But we are missing a point here that what we see on internet or watch on TV is someone else’s perspective of the situation. We are missing the opportunity to assess the situation ourself and make our own judgement of good and bad.

Not only this socialising with people helps in developing our personality. Communicating with machine and people are way different. We are not robots. Human interaction is very important for our mental and emotional growth. When we step out, we meet new people and make friends. We learn a lot about life through their struggles in their lives. We learn human behaviour like empathy, sympathy, optimism, trust etc. We are able to build and understand different perspectives. All this helps in our mental and emotional growth. 

Existential experience is required for right psychological growth. No media or internet can teach us the real lessons of life.