You Aren't Alone
More than anything, 2020 has been isolating.
Physically isolating obviously in that we were literally asked to physically isolate. Sort of. Some people. In certain situations. But there was definitely a request made to do that. People are social creatures and even the most withdrawn introverts among us need to see other people once in a while. I love staying home, I love quiet, I love no obligation to go anywhere, but quarantine was still hard after a while. Honestly we didn't have the full quarantine experience of no work and snacking all day for months on end, it was busy and stressful, but it was still isolating, however its possible to merge those opposites together that's what it was.
Even now that we were briefly allowed to be around people again, and some people even hugged (gasp!!) it was still isolating. Somehow we took all the wonderful social tools at our disposal that should've allowed us to stay connected, and managed to turn them into weapons. If 6 months ago I had told you, that you would have a militant position on mask wearing would you have believed me? Of course not, what a ridiculous thing to be militant about! But here we are, new battle lines drawn, further fracturing us. The point isn't really if masks are right or wrong, but how we immediately take up this posture where whoever is not on my side is wrong and stupid and trying to kill everyone. There is no conversation, no discourse of open minds having a discussion about topics of the day, its all knock down drag out fights on who can yell the loudest.
I was having a conversation today with someone about all the general topics of the day, and for the most part we saw fairly eye to eye. I had never met them before but we were able to have a cordial conversation and it was refreshing. Towards the end he said 'it was really good to meet someone from another part of the country, it made me feel like I'm not so alone and that there are other people out there who are rational'. I'm not exaggerating, that was the exact statement. It hit me that that is what this year is. We've all become so isolated, scared to voice our opinions for fear of being shouted down, that we feel completely alone.
It doesn't take an expert or genius to see where this will take us. Isolation is never healthy and coupled with the physical and verbal violence everywhere, its only a matter of time before people get really stupid. And I say really stupid even after taking into account all of the other really stupid things that have happened this year. It feels like we're standing in a room with no way out and the water is flooding through the cracks threatening to drown everyone. Rather than see what's happening, everyone in the room is arguing, yelling, splashing around, and completely missing the danger that is rising rapidly.
My challenge this week to anyone who reads this, is to reach out to the quiet friends in your life, the ones that aren't shouting, and maybe you'll feel a little less alone. Strike up a conversation with a random person at the grocery store, treat lightly but really talk to them. Smile with enthusiasm and show people you are glad they are there. And finally, if you are a shouter, on either side of anything that's going on right now, please be quiet and listen. You don't have to change your mind, but for the love of everything, please stop yelling at me.
Physically isolating obviously in that we were literally asked to physically isolate. Sort of. Some people. In certain situations. But there was definitely a request made to do that. People are social creatures and even the most withdrawn introverts among us need to see other people once in a while. I love staying home, I love quiet, I love no obligation to go anywhere, but quarantine was still hard after a while. Honestly we didn't have the full quarantine experience of no work and snacking all day for months on end, it was busy and stressful, but it was still isolating, however its possible to merge those opposites together that's what it was.
Even now that we were briefly allowed to be around people again, and some people even hugged (gasp!!) it was still isolating. Somehow we took all the wonderful social tools at our disposal that should've allowed us to stay connected, and managed to turn them into weapons. If 6 months ago I had told you, that you would have a militant position on mask wearing would you have believed me? Of course not, what a ridiculous thing to be militant about! But here we are, new battle lines drawn, further fracturing us. The point isn't really if masks are right or wrong, but how we immediately take up this posture where whoever is not on my side is wrong and stupid and trying to kill everyone. There is no conversation, no discourse of open minds having a discussion about topics of the day, its all knock down drag out fights on who can yell the loudest.
I was having a conversation today with someone about all the general topics of the day, and for the most part we saw fairly eye to eye. I had never met them before but we were able to have a cordial conversation and it was refreshing. Towards the end he said 'it was really good to meet someone from another part of the country, it made me feel like I'm not so alone and that there are other people out there who are rational'. I'm not exaggerating, that was the exact statement. It hit me that that is what this year is. We've all become so isolated, scared to voice our opinions for fear of being shouted down, that we feel completely alone.
It doesn't take an expert or genius to see where this will take us. Isolation is never healthy and coupled with the physical and verbal violence everywhere, its only a matter of time before people get really stupid. And I say really stupid even after taking into account all of the other really stupid things that have happened this year. It feels like we're standing in a room with no way out and the water is flooding through the cracks threatening to drown everyone. Rather than see what's happening, everyone in the room is arguing, yelling, splashing around, and completely missing the danger that is rising rapidly.
My challenge this week to anyone who reads this, is to reach out to the quiet friends in your life, the ones that aren't shouting, and maybe you'll feel a little less alone. Strike up a conversation with a random person at the grocery store, treat lightly but really talk to them. Smile with enthusiasm and show people you are glad they are there. And finally, if you are a shouter, on either side of anything that's going on right now, please be quiet and listen. You don't have to change your mind, but for the love of everything, please stop yelling at me.
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