CORONA VIRUS & SOCIAL DISTANCING - THE NEW SOCIAL GLUE

The world is at war!

Not since September 11, 2001, has any event, activity or phenomenon gotten the attention of the world as COVID-19 has. Not the global economic meltdown of 2008. Not the Syrian war which began in 2011. Not Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2014. Not Boko Haram’s abduction of the Chibok girls also in 2014. Not allegations of Russia hacking and influencing the result of the American Presidential elections in 2016. Not even the death of the king of pop - Michael Jackson in 2009!

While the 9/11 attacks on the USA mostly only got the attention of the world, shaking her faith in humanity, and posing a scare of a nuclear war or possible WW3 if it was confirmed that the perpetrators were a band of rogue, apparently self-immolating countries;  COVID-19 has gotten the attention of the world, and also for the first time in a very long time, united the world against a common enemy.

This enemy is not a band of insurgents, or an opportunist military behemoth, or a ring of scammers, or a group of religious fanatics; the enemy has no political affiliations, no religious affiliations, no economic bent, neither is it of any ethnic descent; the enemy is not even a natural disaster like a tsunami or an earthquake, or a cyclone; neither is it the asteroid, which we hear is earth bound in any case.

This common enemy is a virus!

And for the first time in a long time, at least in my adult life, the whole world is truly united; bleeding and blessing at the same time. Wounded, but soldering on. The world is at war, but at peace at the same time.

Countries are warzones, and refugee camps at the same time. Borders are closed. Airports are shutdown. Planes are grounded. Even within my country Nigeria, some state governors are seriously considering denying fellow Nigerian citizens resident in other states entry into their state till the scourge abates, it doesn’t matter if it is the travellers' state of origin.

It indeed is a bleeding mess!

All over the world, the most common term used to explain how to curtail the spread of the COVID-19 virus is social distancing. A word which connotes physical distancing from social gatherings, social interaction, and social engagement.

The reason is not far-fetched. COVID-19 is spread by touch or contact with an infected person.

However, it seems that COVID-19 is actually a reset button which is badly needed by an insanely busy world. Due to the insane busyness of the world, which it must be said, is not the fault of anybody, most spouses know about their colleagues than they know about their spouse who they are supposed to be married to. Most parents know more about the economy of foreign nations than they do about the mindset of their children. Cumulatively, most kids of working parents do not speak with both parents for more than 8 hours in a 168 hours week!

Could all this have been totally avoided, probably not.

But families have never been more strangers to each other than they have been in this digital age. The ripple effect has been an increase in divorce cases, an increase in spousal murders, an increase in marital infidelity, and a societal proliferation of clueless, rudderless, and materialistic children who lack parental love and leadership in the home. 

Enter COVID-19…and Social distancing.

While social distancing has forced ever-travelling government officials to stay in their constituency, it has also compelled them to face and share in the grim reality of the poor facilities at the disposal of these constituencies. It has forced celebrities to see beyond the allure of stardom, and to understand that the shiny pearls and gleaming cars mean nothing in a sick world, particularly one where your money and fame may not be enough to buy you the basics.

To cope with the spread of COVID-19, parents have been forced to work remotely from home, children have been forced to be at home all day. And for the first time in a very long time, many families are actually beginning to live, and communicate as families.

Social distancing has forced daddy to realize that mummy now has strands of grey hair; that junior is actually taller than he was last Christmas, and that Becky their daughter actually struggles to see clearly…(which explains why her grade seems to have been dropping in the last 2 academic sessions despite the changes of private teachers).

Social distancing has actually become the social glue that has bound the world together in love, in unity, in hope and faith. It has become the social glue that has brought families together, showing the ephemeral nature of human existence, and opening the eyes of humanity to the things that truly matter.

So, instead of popping champagne in the club with strangers, we are gratefully drinking menthol-laced warm water with family; instead of making videos showing off our Bentleys and Lamborghinis, we are jumping on Tyler Perry’s #Hesgotthewholeworldchallenge without any makeup, designers or ambient paparazzi; instead of being in the news for the wrong reasons, as artistes, celebrities, coaches, religious leaders, and common men and women, we are making news by donating to support strangers from far and wide.

Social distancing may have stopped us from shaking hands, bumping fists, kissing lips (and some behinds too), but it has actually made us blow kisses, embrace hearts, revitalize souls, and inspire humanity.