My lessons from COVID-19 Part 2 – The social aspect

My previous list of learnings was on the physical and experiential side – mostly on the way we usually do things. The pandemic showed us many of these were not really the best or even right. So, we innovated to more efficient ways. Which is good! The next aspect would be the social one, with a lot of discoveries we realized, too. If we sum up all the lessons we could learn from this pandemic, we’d soon realize there’s a silver lining to this unhappy situation.

What the virus did was restrict our movements from place to place. While that surely had an effect on our livelihood and the economy, it made us stay longer in a single place where we are together with the people closest to us – our families. Looking at it from retrospect, we realize the last two centuries of human development has actually pulled families apart from each other, with breadwinners spending hours at work away from children. Some even had to go abroad for months and years relegating the work of rearing up children to surrogates.

The CQs (E, ME, G, MG) brought families together to spend more time with each other. Even husband and wives needed the enhanced quality time offered by the restrictions. Whereas before, we talk of trips and holidays as “bonding times,” here is the ready bonding available when people work from home and children have online classes. The latter gave that golden opportunity for parents to get more involved in our children’s education. Which we forgot! Our children’s education is supposed to be the responsibility of parents --the school and their teachers merely acts as aides and accessories. With the pandemic, we can actively play that role.

The sudden development of online communication has brought about an increasing social interaction between family members and friends who are afar, some even on separate continents. Now, parents, siblings, grandparents, and even cousins, regularly check on each other more often, bonding in the process. The downside of this aspect is experienced by those without the capability, of course, and loneliness can be a disastrous thing, too. But overall, the pandemic showed us that we don’t need to be in one place to strengthen relationships, but that also, being in one place is great for immediate families.

No one has quantified yet on the significant value of the social and relational development on humanity this pandemic has offered to us. But it also depends on how we embrace the benefits and maximize their contribution to families, society, national development, and civilization as a whole. This pestilence has given us a chance to get better. To be better. As individuals, families, and as a people. But it’s an opportunity to be embraced and accepted. And worked on. We are with our families for a longer time, we should make the most out of it. Especially for husband and wives to improve in their relationships and for parents and children to enjoy their bond as God intended for them. This is an opportunity of a lifetime! (To be continued)