Strange times are upon us. A virus is ravaging mankind, and our generation is experiencing a phenomenon that most of us could never have imagined. The advent of COVID-19 has shown us the best and worst of who we are at heart as a collective society. On one hand, people are hoarding food and necessary supplies with complete disregard for the needs of others, as though they’ll never be available again. I mean… no toilet paper anywhere? Really, people? Certain people – let’s be as kind as we can and call them selfish bastards – are buying up items like masks, hand sanitizer and disinfectant so they can sell them privately to make a profit. There’s a special place in hell for people like that, and I’m sure karma will take good care of them.
There IS an "on the other hand" coming, I promise... There’s a lot you can say about our present state of affairs, without even getting into the economy or politics: we saw this coming; we watched what happened across the globe and did nothing; we treated it like someone else’s problem; the sensationalistic media stirred up panic, while the government downplayed the severity, lied about the numbers and failed to protect us in time; Trump bumbled everything every step of the way, as expected; and by the time the reality of awareness dawned like a swift kick in the balls, too many people didn’t take the threat seriously enough. You can say all of this and more, and you’d be correct on all counts. And, for the record, as COVID-19 finally recedes in other countries, the US now has more documented cases than any of them. Yay, us. But here we are, for better or worse. And I, for one, am hoping for better. (Here comes that “on the other hand…”) Because despite what’s bad right now, we’re experiencing a sea-change in our society. There is a new reality dawning and it’s up to us to embrace it or fall back into our usual business of ignoring what matters most. The new reality isn’t Social Distancing. To be honest, I hate the term because what’s happening is just the opposite. People are actually coming together in new and creative ways – realizing that, once deprived of it by necessity rather than choice, the need for human connection is greater now than ever before. Say what you will about social media, text messaging and people hiding in their phones and laptops rather than participating in the world. Truth is, thanks to technology, we have the ability and potential to connect on a more personal level now than we have in decades – if we put it to proper use. And that’s exactly what I’m seeing. People are embracing it, using it not to distance themselves, but to bring everyone in closer. It’s not “social distancing” that’s the key to survival… it’s what I like to think of as Virtual Togetherness. Social distancing implies hiding away from society. Virtual Togetherness implies coming together, reconnecting with loved ones, caring for others and embracing what matters most in this world. There’s a different feeling bubbling up from under the fear of illness. And while you won’t see anyone hugging in the streets, people are doing what they can to connect, checking on neighbors and friends, getting outdoors and talking over fences, calling, texting, video conferencing and connecting via social media. Families are spending more time together than ever before. People are finding new ways to employ their skills – sewing masks to donate to a medical community in desperate need – getting their children involved by teaching them to sew and so on (pun intended). I saw a piece on the local news about a photographer donating her time to take family photos – from a distance of course – in order to capture moments of unprecedented togetherness at home. She’s doing what she loves to spread a little joy. She does it for free and only asks that the family consider donations to a cause of their choice. It’s incredibly heartwarming, and I can’t help but think how much stronger we’d be as a society if we all embraced and held onto this mindset, not just in times of adversity, but as part of being a socially-responsible human long after the specter of COVID-19 fades. For reasons I won't get into here, my husband and I have opted to stay home far longer than has been mandated. We do it to protect his health, and we’re doing what we can to have fun. We take the dog on more walks. We’re participating in virtual happy hours. We’re visiting family and talking to each other through the windows, leaving plenty of space in between, and it does our hearts good to hear their voices and see them smile. None of it makes us feel distant. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. Because – virtual or otherwise – it’s togetherness. And it has brought about a renewed sense of the value of our lives and everyone we hold dear. I hope it does the same for you. Peace, y’all. Practice Virtual Togetherness, and spread love and kindness, not COVID-19.
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Welcome to Brain BytesMeet Walter. If you ever want to fully understand "wild abandon," just watch a puppy for a little while. You'll experience joy in its purest form. It's their job. I wish everyone that same joy in everything they do. Find what you love...and find the time to do it every day. Walter keeps me mindful of this. And so I write. Archives
March 2020
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