What if social distancing remains forever?

I do not think it will remain, in many countries the restrictions — if there were any — are getting relaxed gradually.

But let us play with the thought that the whole pandemic, the restrictions, and social distancing were purposeful, in order to teach us something!

What if social distancing is there to show us that the previous way of connecting was not right, and we can start reconnecting only if we learn how to connect?

After all, instinctively we all connect in a self-serving, self-justifying, egocentric, and subjective way, in order to use our connections for our own benefit. This does not sound so bad, after all, what is so wrong about some “give and take”? And the others are connecting with similar intentions, so let the shrewder, more clever one benefit from connections, like in businesses or political manipulation for example!

The problem is that in the globally integrated, fully interdependent world we evolved into as long as I use the interconnections for selfish benefits I inevitably cause harm to others. And since we are all intricately interconnected this harm goes beyond the immediate connections, harming the whole system!

This is why we are constantly in perpetual crisis as at all levels of Human engagement we are harming each other with our blind, instinctive approach, not even being aware of the constant harm we are causing.

Now the virus showed us what this interdependence, mutual responsibility means in practice, but I am not sure we are getting the message yet. Maybe Nature’s system wants to keep us apart until we learn the lesson and are willing to use our interconnections only ina mutually beneficial, mutually responsible, mutually complementing way? Perhaps even if the present social distancing is relaxed some other cause, reason will distance us again until we learn? Who knows…?!