9

This pandemic has many costs; one of them is friendship, friendship past, friendship now.  

Because of the pandemic we don’t get together for coffee with friends or colleagues. No going out for dinner. No theatre, no movies. We don’t sit together at events. There’s no talk with family about plans. When we do get together, we only see eyes above the mask. True, our eyes tell  a lot, but not all. We don’t shake hands or hug, and there are now many little gestures, moves, and expressions that no longer enter our lives. Our behavior has changed.

And when we meet people, we don’t plan to meet again. We are less inclined to make a note of addresses and phone numbers. We miss a chance to think of this one or that one. Our lives have changed. It is like we are closing in on ourselves, shutting out the world. In ways we are making little cocoons, little nests of self.

Aristotle said man is a social animal, but social ligaments are dissolving,  our outlines are fading, blurring. Taking their place in our world are posters made of internet emails, zoom faces, flashing video images, a world of non-social experience. 

We know not what will come of all of this, but we do know that for the moment we must try our hardest to love our neighbor and do whatever we can to befriend that semi-stranger.