How Social Distancing Is Re-inventing Our Social Species
There are ways to open up, stay social, and still have a healthy populace
Our species, unmasked
We went to a local park yesterday, and I noticed most people were not wearing masks. This is somewhat disconcerting in an area where recently there was an outbreak cluster.
As we were leaving, we noticed two non-masked ladies.
“You’re still feeding the cats even after the park is closed?” My husband asked, as we approached.
“Of course, we are,” one lady retorted, sounding a bit defensive. She was working for a local charity that cares for homeless cats. This charity faces a fair amount of hostility in the public eye, already, because not everyone appreciates the cat colonies.
In a ‘normal’ world I would have walked up to her and stood just a foot or two apart to show that we are non-threatening, curious, and friendly.
But in this situation, we stood approximately fourteen feet apart, not the social norm with which our species evolved. We are a social species. The present pandemic unmasks this truth every day.
We chatted.
The tension lifted. She came to realize that although we wore masks and she did not, we were not trying to scold, or…