Ben there, Done that
Coming together
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In the wake of the global COVID-19 pandemic, I have been pleasantly surprised by humanity. As more and more of the world goes into lockdown to try and flatten the curve in local areas, I have noticed some really amazing and hopeful things in our world.
In the busyness of everyday life, people in our modern world have developed a sort of collective social isolation where we may be physically present but not fully present. So much of life is superficial and surface with no real connection or substance. Although, as we are confronted with a common challenge, a strange shift is taking place. Suddenly, the world as a whole is taking a reset, a step back or a breather. What is happening with this new space that has been created?
As a young person who has grown up in a digitally saturated time period, I have fervently defended the technology in our lives. I feel it is something that allows for a much more connected world than ever before; however, I have always had a feeling that most of the potential was untapped. With physical isolation limiting the amount of interaction we can have in various degrees around the world, people en masse are turning to their devices to connect and come together. Friends of mine, scattered around the world, are experiencing either social distancing, self-isolation or government-enforced quarantine. What is our reaction? We are turning to the little screens in our pockets to connect with one another. We are, to a degree, lonely, and most people have internet access. Suddenly, we are making use of the technology that has been sitting right under our noses this whole time. From video chats and Facetime to live streams of people doing hobbies like knife making, painting and music. Collectively, we are relearning the amazing connection that can be had over the internet.
I can say, with full confidence, that at no other time in my life have I seen or felt such a coming together of people on a large scale. What do I mean by that? I have seen a few minor crises but am too young to remember 9/11, so I can’t really comment; however, in all the other crises I have observed like Ebola, Swine Flu or the Great Recession, I have never seen people come together as a whole in the midst of such restrictions. The internet is overflowing with videos, articles, podcasts and posts about people coming up with creative ways to unite, come together, care for each other and bond over a common goal. I had a friend who had a wedding very recently, and the plans were drastically adjusted. Instead of a normal reception, friends and family piled into separate cars and came through one after another to congratulate the happy couple. In other ways, apartment blocks in dense cities are filled with the sounds of singing as the tenants join in chorus from their balconies. People are organizing to run errands for the elderly to help keep them safe. When else in human history has this kind of collective coming together happened across the globe?
COVID-19 is not a small issue. How humanity reacts as a whole to a crisis of this magnitude reveals valuable insights. No one would ever wish for a reality like this. All of us can choose to see the negatives or the positives transpiring in our present world. Will we come together or will this divide us? Give someone a call, reach out to neighbours and friends, be creative! If you are young and healthy and free from symptoms, offer to run errands for someone in need. Let’s continue to come together and weather this crisis.
