That there is a pandemic, that has come and will go, has invaded the consciousness of each one of us. And given that, there is a bigger meaning to hold, or as I always say, a method to the madness. An order to the chaos. That is Covid-19.
Of many, like who is at risk and how is it transmitted, there are questions to ask. Like . . .Is physical distance the same as social distance? How do we stay connected when we are apart?
The internet has widened yet bridged the level at which we connect. We have information at our fingertips and knowledge of what is going on in the world, with not just our close friends but anyone with whom we have access, at the click of a mouse. With an extensive web that is yet unseen, we have the ability to adapt to changes in our social environment, like with what is going on now.
This may be a social experiment. With increasing isolation amongst the younger populations, millennials at the peak, we are currently challenged to break isolation because yet we are all in this together.
Does physical distance dictate social and emotional distance? It’s not the same, clearly yet touch and connection is critical to our beings. With the limitations of such, we are now forced to develop a community that is virtual . . that is in cyberspace.
Today I saw links to meetings and (free) trainings with colleagues, supervision videos, a video on what the people of Italy would have done earlier had they known and taken the Covid19 virus seriously; I also saw pictures of the supplies shortage, what to do to prevent or help the virus should I be afflicted, and joined a new FB group for parents of graduating seniors at the University at which my son attends, not yet ready to leave behind their home of 4 years.
Perhaps this is a test to use our resources to expand our world and not to sit in isolation for the time in which we must self-quarantine.
And the amazing part about this is, it’s not limited to the lonely millennials. It’s for all of us—the school-age children currently attending school, the elderly, the unemployed, the military and the government and even the pregnant mothers. Groups at all levels of risk. Some need more help and assistance than others.
My son and his housemates are tending to each other and working as a community to protect their home and each other, more so than ever before. Their rules must be written and they must be strict, agreements must be made and they must be adhered to or the consequences can potentially be deadly for those physically and immuno-challenged. This holds for all of us.
Yes, we are all in this together not just for physical protection but to connect, break the isolation and feel a part of.
As Esther Perel says in the following blog post:
We must be physically apart, but we are emotionally and psychologically in this together
Covid-19 will go leaving damage in its wake. Like 911 this is a correction, although more widespread which is perhaps a reminder that our world is flat and that the web of connection, like the web of the potential spread of the virus, is deep and wide.
This video is a must-watch . . it is the passing of the experiment, the Covid-19 experiment, that we need to come together in different ways, that we need to PAUSE and notice more than the rabbit holes in which we had landed. It is a test of the universe, not a dress rehearsal; The World is Changing Now
And for a great listen .. . an inspiring podcast from Tim Ferris and Jack Kornfield: How to Find Peace Amidst Covid-19
