Reconnecting to our humanity
When COVID-19 made its way to Florida in March, we knew we were in for turbulent times. Many thought that the virus would be around for a few months before dissipating like seasonal flu.
Few people predicted a virulent second wave this fall that would spike numbers ever higher, exhausting front-line workers and fatiguing the public. The development of a vaccine has brought new hope that the end may be in sight. Besides sickness and loss of life, what else has coronavirus left us?
• A new form of public hygiene. Masks will be forever a fashionable option. Everything from how we greet people to how often we clean our hands is forever changed.
• More time at home, mostly for the purpose of social distancing. This isn’t a bad thing, as long as it doesn’t lead to social isolation.
• Virtual communication via internet as a totally acceptable form of socializing, from virtual happy hours to the remote dinners.
• A new commerce. We’ve discovered the convenience of having things brought to our home instead of going out and shopping for them.
While some of these changes are advantageous, it seems the more we become virtual the less we become human.
So when we have coronavirus beat, maybe we should reexamine the practices it brought and adapt them in a way that reintroduces the human element and helps restore the world to pre-coronavirus status. Consider:
• Make it a point to reconnect in person with the people that you have only been able to virtually visit.
• In the first year, attend two or three more live performing arts events than you did before coronavirus. The performing arts have been especially hard hit during the pandemic, and they should receive special consideration during the return to normalcy.
• Eat out more than usual to help restaurants, another hard hit business category, rebound.
• Visit your favorite locally owned retail stores more frequently than usual to help them come back. Keep home deliveries to a minimum during this time.
• Get back to attending large gatherings, whether at a concert or church, that help us connect in a profound way as one big human family.
I’m not sure that any of these will bring us back to the world pre-COVID, but they may get us back to who we truly are.
See the original article in the print publication
Gregory Enns
Reach Gregory Enns or 772.940.9005.