Absurd quarantine

POZZO: what have I done with my watch? ... I must have left it at the manor.

As a tragicomedy, the irony and humor in Waiting for Godot never cease to make me laugh. Watching Pozzo play with his watch so much earlier—staying on top of his game regarding time—yet end up losing it is not only humorous but also deep. Symbolic of time, the loss of the watch shows the meaningless of time. But it also goes to show how disoriented and disorganized Pozzo really is. He appears fancy (relative to Vladimir and Estragon), with his chicken wings and watch that can calculate time in real-time, but in reality, he is just another human similar to Vladimir and Estragon. 

Reading the watch scene, I couldn't help but think about all the times I thought I "lost my phone". Just as Pozzo tells everyone to be silent in order to hear ticking, I get someone in the house to call my cellphone, ensuring they're quiet so I can hear the vibration (ring, if I'm lucky). However, without my phone, I'm quite disoriented as well. It's become part of my life now — a sense of security? Knowledge of time and productivity? I guess our phones are the equivalent of watches back then. 

As a senior in quarantine, I try to let go of time more—playing card games with family, video games with friends, etc.  I tend to lose track of time and hours pass by; by the time it's midnight, I realize I barely got anything done. But while "time is gold," it's important to set time with companionship, whether that's being in tune with yourself or spending time with friends and family. That time is still golden. <3 

As absurd as this play is, our current state makes us more similar than ever before. For Vladimir and Estragon, they wait with no end, hoping Godot will one day come. For us, we're waiting, hoping the pandemic will one day end. 

When is that day, though? I guess that's subjective... to what extent will you consider the pandemic "over"?