In The Midst Of Social Distancing, Let’s Maintain Social Solidarity

By Yvonne Sam
Contributing Columnist

We must maintain our closeness in these critical times.

No rational representative of the homo sapiens genre can deny the damage and destruction that COVID-19 has wrought, and still continues to do to our lives and livelihoods, health and happiness, meetings and modes of education, our public and private events, travel, and the economy.

Additionally, this lethal and incapacitating virus has also equally impacted family gatherings and visiting to each other’s domicile, our ability to visit each other in nursing homes, hospitals, as well as our  places and modes of worship.

Concisely, it has virtually shut down and constricted the spaces for our relationship-building, awakening, work, recreation, relaxation, grounding and the wholesomeness that comes from just being together.

Furthermore, fear and confusion has been placed in the hearts and minds of people, conspiracy theories in the minds and mouths of some, prompted outright disavowal of both its existence and effect by others, and still, by others, panic and mindless preparation for disaster.

The pandemic brought, in its wake, a sudden incertitude and fear of the future, preempting or seriously limiting the things, we formerly did, to make us secure, in the certainty and continuity of things, namely: work, school, parties, outings, restaurants, recreation and religious services, malls, movies and making contact, in countless ways.

Ergo, our mooring seems to have snapped, a storm is raging, and we are left wondering, how and when, we will reach shore and see sunshine again. We are all defenseless, although some are more so, and we must think, feel, plan and act, accordingly.

However, in good faith, we cannot cooperate in blaming or scapegoating different others for the disease; or search for imagined origins, instead of medical explanations; or believe that we are immune, on the grounds of age, intellect, religion, nationality, religion or religiousness.

In consequence, the pandemic poses (specifically for us, as a people) not only a serious health challenge, but also a moral and social challenge. For it speaks, not only of how to control and reduce the spread, and find a vaccine, but, additionally, how, in the process, we befittingly-relate to each other, support, encourage and fight for each other, especially the most vulnerable among us, and those in the larger society.

Although it has been labelled “social distancing”, in essence and reality, it is concentrated on “physical distancing”. Notwithstanding, this very physical distancing is a justifiable and necessary practice, in the efforts to control and lessen the spread of the coronavirus.

This includes, not only keeping distance in contact, but also self-quarantines, city quarantines and whole countries locking down, and locking off its own citizens from each other and from the rest of the world.

It is important that we become conscious, and oppose how this practice of “social distancing” can produce a behaviorism of crude individualism, which sees self in autonomous, antagonistic, covetous and aggressive ways.

This simply means the cultivation of a self that seeks its own health and well-being, at the expense of others, or mindlessly engages in practice, which demonstrates this psychology, even unintentionally. This has been conspicuously demonstrated in the uncontrolled hoarding of food, water and supplies, fighting in shopping lines and building bunkers.

Studies have shown that distancing, especially relational distancing, can negatively affect mental and physical health, as can closeness positively affect them. This relational problem is especially acute for the most vulnerable, the elderly, ill, disabled, the homeless, the isolated, alone and incarcerated, and the poor in every category.

Therefore, we must stay in touch with all those from the vulnerable groups among us, support them, advocate for them and fight on their behalf. Indeed, we must find ways, even locked down, to keep in touch and take care of them, each of them, and reassure them and ourselves, and embrace them in our hearts, even when we are unable to do so with our hands and arms.

Whatsoever comes of our struggle against this most-deadly virus and the related problems it poses, it is important that we maintain our closeness. And as always, continue the struggle; keep the faith; hold the line; love our people and each other; seek and speak truth; be concerned with the well-being of the community and all in it.

As the emphasis on social distancing remains somewhat limiting, it is clear to see that we also need to focus on social solidarity.

Stars give the brightest light during the darkest night. Let us this virus beat, so that, eventually, we can all land on our feet.

Aleuta, the struggle continues.

Yvonne Sam, a retired Head Nurse and Secondary School Teacher, is Vice-president of the Guyana Cultural Association of Montreal. A regular columnist for over two decades with the Montreal Community Contact, her insightful and incursive articles on topics ranging from politics, human rights and immigration, to education and parenting have also appeared in the Huffington Post, Montreal Gazette, XPressbogg and Guyanese OnLine. She is also the recipient of the Governor General of Canada Caring Canadian Citizen Award.