COVID 19 - The Vital Need for Community
Communities are tough to come by in this isolated quarantined world. They provide a common space and activities for their members. Throughout good and bad, small collectives provide support nets for us. But, with the Covid-19 outbreak, we’ve struggled to maintain close communities and it feels like the groups I’ve helped lead and strengthen are weakening. Humans are social creatures and depriving us of meeting others is criminal. Still, these times are temporary, and for the greater good, we must maintain our focus on spending time with others. I never really considered the idea of being alone at home for so long. Sometimes, we need to be alone. Still, we have individuals in prison who’ve spent most of their years in solitary confinement. This cruelty is inhumane for even the most violent of criminals. Our situation is only temporary, and communities will thrive once again.
I was conducting a psychiatric evaluation in a Chicago hospital when the paramedics carried in a man on a stretcher, bleeding profusely out of his head. He had been shot. The man’s appearance stunned me and gave me a grave feeling of fear inside my stomach. It felt like the entire hospital came together to try and save him. Veteran doctors and nurses went behind the veil of this room and attempted to revive him. “CODE BLUE”, they yelled. An even greater number of medical professionals attempted to save the man, but their efforts were unsuccessful. The doctors and nurses exited the room with grim expressions on their faces, some guarded by tears.
Did this individual have a community to support him? If so, who were they to allow such a violent death to occur? Where was he a member and why had someone murdered him? Was he gang-affiliated? Did he belong to a religious institution? Why judge this person? Ultimately, I hope that he has found peace. I hope that he felt a sense of belonging and was supported by others in his community. When communities die from lack of participation, interest or schedule conflicts, we find new ones. A life without community is a life not worth living.
Communities die as we all do. Nothing is permanent. Our book club has been suspended. The brewery’s operations have been suspended. The only space to exercise is independently on our own. We can’t even go on a hike in a group. While we’re able to connect through virtual means, it’s difficult to maintain communities in this sense. Without face-to-face interaction, groups and communities are tough to keep active.
Still, we’re adjusting. Even us introverts are becoming bored. It’s only been two weeks and new methods of communication are already proving useful. I had never heard of Zoom until the quarantine. While I’m convinced we must have physical contact, these virtual means provide us with a medium in the interim crisis. My only hope is that we can return to physical touch in another month. While our situation will never be anything remotely similar to the incarcerated individual, it’s okay to be angry, bored, or upset. In-between my grieving of the death of physical contact, maybe I’ll put my talents together and start a radio show. More to come. Stay well in this quarantine and please reach out to me and comment below!
