The coronavirus crisis has been one of the most monumental hurdles in recent global history. Economic crashes, lost jobs, thousands of people falling ill and even dying, and a collective sense of uncertainty and despair. As social creatures, this would normally be a time when we draw close to others to seek comfort. But in order to stop the spread of COVID-19, a large portion of the world’s population has been asked to stay at home and stop physically interacting with others for weeks on end. This is not an easy task even for the most introverted person since we are biologically wired to connect with others. This very human challenge is testing people everywhere, even though the purpose is to protect the lives of millions of people.
My own experience is no different.
Before Covid-19 I genuinely enjoyed the company of my co-workers, and we spent a lot of our working hours talking or bouncing ideas off of each other. When we began working from home, it felt like we were cut off from having this face to face interaction in the same way we had before. I missed being able to actually see them outside of a Skype call or Zoom meeting. I had also stepped back from many personal commitments at that time since I am considered to be in a high-risk group. All of this seemed to be driving me further into isolation and cutting me off from the company of others. How could I stand this, knowing that I had weeks (or even months) of remote living ahead?
The answer was more simple than I thought.
I had lots of friends and family that I was always attempting to schedule a meet-up with. There were many people I’d always promised to hang out with in person but never did. Now, all the people I cared about were only a Zoom call, FaceTime, or text away. All of these people who I only ever thought to connect with physically were suddenly all very digitally available. It’s true that I could have texted or called people before COVID-19, but the stress of multiple commitments, commuting, working, and maybe even getting enough sleep meant most intentions of connecting just didn’t pan out. Suddenly, no one had commitments. Almost everyone had shed a commute. In no time I was talking to friends from high school, far-flung college roommates, and relatives I hadn’t had a good chat with in years. On my birthday, I had more people reach out to me digitally than I had ever experienced in person in adult life. My dad even called me on his first-ever FaceTime. Without the pressure of physical connection, commuting, and grind culture, we were all free to reach out to the people that really mattered to us. Physical distancing became a catalyst of connection. Now, as the weeks of isolation drag on, reaching out to more people than ever has kept me sane and able to face this crisis with a sense of unity and hope.
We won’t know the true scope of how Covid-19 has altered our world for a long time. The grief, sorrow, and anxiety it has caused are just as exponential as the curve we are trying to flatten. However, one of the best things it has ever done for us is allowing us to connect to each other in ways we never considered before. It has lifted barriers while closing borders. It has drawn people together while keeping us apart. A pandemic may not be a positive event in human history, but the silver lining of human connection may just outlast the damaging effects and transform the way we socialize forever.