Three UCLA professors recently penned an article centered on the current concept of “social distancing”. They write that we are not, in fact, needing to practice social distancing. Now more than ever, we need to remain in very close social contact with people- for our sanity and theirs. What we do need to do, they write, is to practice “physical distancing”. Stay close, but stay away.
We’re all becoming math experts figuring out how far to stand behind people in lines, and approximating the best times to go out for essentials to minimize interaction. Well, at least the smart people are… The ones who continue with their “normal” activities and behaviors aren’t thinking clearly or constructively. It’s not about you- it’s about everyone you might come in contact with due to the silent predator, COVID- 19.
UCLA Profs. Brand, Foster, and Menjivar point out the well-known, positive effects of maintaining and even ramping up social connections- by phone, text, email, video, group chat, or any other digital sharing, especially nowadays since we’ve curtailed the physical closeness and group grope mentality that means so much to our species.
But you can simply go out for a drive… anywhere. Just drive; don’t get out of your car to interact at all, just (literally) keep moving and enjoy the chosen circuitous route. Drive around; then go home. If you live with others, perhaps two can share the driving so that each car occupant gets a chance to gaze and also pick the all-important tunes that you must play while motoring along.
Pick up food for infirmed, elderly, or scared neighbors; leave it at the door to avoid interaction. Catch up with semi-forgotten school buddies electronically in a deeper way than a tweet, text, or showing them what your lunch plate looked like. Support by offering a simple “thanks” to anyone involved in first line defense- doctors, nurses, security- and vital providers like shelf stockers, produce pickers, plumbers, truckers, shippers, and delivery personnel. That list goes on and on- people at risk, at work and/or on call… on our behalf.
We’re all in uncharted territory here. Will you remember this anxious era with a false sense of pride if you hoarded a year’s worth of bun wad and beans, or will you recall the empathy, compassion, and true humanity you’ve experienced, shared, and witnessed while maintaining vigilant safety guidelines for yourself and your loved ones?
Think about it…