Contrary to what some may believe, underneath this gregarious, genial exterior - I think of myself as a rather private person: somewhat shy, contemplative, reluctant to foist my opinions. And yet here I am, verbally eviscerating myself to basically the entire world - for all to see. So much for self-assessment.
As human beings (and especially as American human beings) we tend to take a lot of things for granted. It's an understandable human flaw (unlike other unforgivable human flaws such as: not using turn signals, eating fruit at the grocery store before weighing it or paying for it, or talking obnoxiously loudly on cell phones while on public transportation - IMHO). And we often aren't made aware of this flaw/shortcoming until the "thing" we do take for granted is taken away from us. Now that we are forced to live in what will be known as the Age of the Covid-19 Pandemic, we are faced with having one of the most basic things that we have/need taken away from us - human contact. Who even ever stopped to think about having it until now - now that it is verboten. A warm hug, a friendly shake of the hands, a reassuring pat on the back. These are all such mundane gestures in the lexicon of human interaction, and now that TYPE of non-verbal communication has been stymied. Oh, we'll survive without high-fives for the next month or so, but let's not overlook this subtle tear in our human fabric, and it's regressive attenuating impact on our overall Shelter-In-Place mood and demeanor.
As we strive to adapt to a new normal (let's hope a temporarily new normal), it's time to get more thoughtful about how we do reach out and touch our support circle - both personal and professional. And perhaps now more than ever, social media can play a beneficial role in our lives. These anonymity-providing apps are often chided for their ability to allow users to hide behind a cyber curtain and spout without consequences. But like so much in the past few weeks that has been turned upside down in our lives, if we similarly re-examine the emphasis of social media, and focus more on the "social" and less on the media - we can leverage this lifeline as a way to maintain contact, stay connected, and be "there" for the ones in our lives who may be feeling a bit more isolated and alone now that we are all isolated and alone. Our new shared "social" experience is that we are now a society that is all alone together. Oxymoron? / Yes. Opportunity? / Yes, most definitely - providing we creatively use this existing omnipresent platform for the power of good, and not so much for the regurgitation of gobbledygook.
