I understand the push to reopen the economy and return to business-as-usual as quickly as possible.
Lockdown brought on a lot of mental and emotional tension, loneliness and uncertainty in the future, all of which contribute to a yearning to exit the state of isolation and re-enter into our familiar settings.
However, reopening the economy too quickly, without adequate readiness, sets the scene for more hardships.
In such conditions, we can expect a fiercer wave of the coronavirus to sweep over societies, infecting and killing many more people than the first wave, and forcing us into much stricter and harsher social distancing conditions in order to deal with it.
The coronavirus has illuminated both our tight interdependence, as well as our inner detachment from each other.
On one hand, our interdependence became marked by the need to maintain personal hygiene, wear masks and keep social distancing conditions in order to remain disease-free.
On the other hand, our inner detachment became visible in the mental and emotional wear and tear on many during the lockdown.
Therefore, any lasting solution to the coronavirus requires fixing the alienation that many people feel.
Instead of reopening the economy, we would be wiser if we realized that our negative connections to each other are the bigger problem in our lives, and opened new programs that aimed to improve our connections.
If we felt an enveloping togetherness over society, we would then have the means by which we could rise above our negative and dark sensations.
Therefore, we would do well to shift the focus of our attention onto the benefit of society, seeking how to make sure everyone has their needs covered and that they feel cared for, and also to keep in mind that our efforts to keep the virus away from others are ultimately efforts to keep the virus away from ourselves.
The revelation of our tightened interdependence demands an additional push of each person accepting responsibility for the health and well-being of others. If we do so, and society rises to a new level of mutual responsibility, we would then be on track to stopping the spread of the coronavirus.
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