Was Isaac Newton skiving when he discovered the laws of gravity? After all, one popular myth was that he was resting the apple tree when the apple fell on him. He certainly was not doing much manual work then.

But in reality, according to the article, “Did an apple really fall on Isaac Newton’s head?” by Elizabeth Nix disputed that. There was an outbreak of bubonic plague and Newton was forced to move back to his childhood home when the incident concerning apples and his discovery of the gravitational laws occurred. He had time to observe the things around him and became curious at why things (apples) behave in certain ways (fell to the ground). I do envy Newton for having a time in his life where he could sit back, observe and make important discoveries that play a significant role in defining our world today.

We are in the midst of a pandemic but yet I find that there was little time to sit back and relax, or observe and think things through. For one, many seemingly simple tasks in the past now require more effort and time. An example would be getting a gym session for myself, where it used to be that I can walk into the gym any time as I pay for all access, as long as the gym is open. But in a world covered with scars of COVID-19, I have to book all the gym sessions I want as in I need to specify when I am going to the gym, and my preferred time is also dependent on availability. Another reason is unlike in Newton’s days, we are bombarded with so much information and knowledge, it’s mind daunting just to figure out where to start.

I would so much like a chance to skive for a while. But telling employers that, “hey, if you give me some space, I may have a sudden moment of epiphany, like Newton resting in the apple orchard,” is unfortunately not going to work in a results-driven society battling COVID-19 and the economic problems and unemployment that follows.

Life before COVID-19 as we knew it will never return but let’s hope that things would get better.