The mental refers to a group of abstract concepts relating to disorders of the mind. Disorders in this context can be defined as the disruption of the systematic functioning or neat arrangement of a person’s mind. A recession in economics alludes to a business cycle contraction where there is a general decline in economic activity. In contrast however, a recession of the mind can be defined as the act of the mental pedaling downwards, degenerating and melting into a puddle of caveman piss instead of adapting, improvising, and overcoming the vast difficulties life may offer. In this essay, we will be discussing the exponential mental decline experienced by students in Renaissance College Hong Kong throughout the periods between March till July, the peak of quarantine.
Figure 1:
Figure one depicts the declining mental capacity of students as the period of quarantine was prolonged due to the coronavirus pandemic. Connection is a primal instinct us humans strive for. It is how we survived the Mesophilic age. Through our limited communication skills and our voodoo methods of strategic planning, we prevailed against all odds as hordes of humans. Hunting and murdering the largest of animals, we were the prey who became the predators. Human beings were only able to become emotionally, mentally, and physically superior to all other species of animals through the power of teamwork and friendship. We would not have survived without connecting to one another and cooperating. The coronavirus pandemic took an essential survival necessity from us, the apex predators of the food chain. As a result, our mental capacity decreased from 100% to 40%.
Humanity was at an all time low, the lowest it’s been since Eve was seduced by the snake in the woods and had a mouthful of the forbidden fruit of knowledge. Much like Eve, the world itself transcended with the knowledge befallen upon us by the gods. With an extended period in quarantine, we were able to surpass the systematic thought processes that once limited our minds and cultivate our critical thinking. Together and individually, we developed much more than ever was thought possible, leading to an increase in mental capacity from 40% to 80%.
Students were bulking. Students were on the road to recovery. Students began to see the light at the end of the tunnel.
“With our newfound mental strength, we express gratitude and appreciation for the quality of life and education we were born to. In an open minded, diverse, and accepting environment cultivated by our excellent faculty created by RCHK, we are grateful.”
As a result of the statement above made by a brave anonymous student, teachers were more motivated than ever to “further our education”. They were ecstatic to provide us with more tests, exams, and assessments.
Students trembled in joy.
Although students were able to boldly protect their dignity and pride throughout the latter half of April, their mental strength eventually crumbled once more between the months of May and June.
With another barrage of assessments dubbed “the culling”, abstract concepts belonging to many of the higher level classes were shoveled into the minds of multiple students. This consequently caused the disruption and destruction in the systematic thought processes involved in the standard routine of students. As a result, there was a mental recession. This is most clearly evidenced in the steep decline between May and June, where mental strength exponentially declined by over 160%.
Many were found unresponsive in the self-constructed examination halls manifested into existence due to stress and anxiety of exams.
Hope of recovery is not promising.
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