Jack of Harts

Social Distancing is a phrase most of us never heard of before this recent unpleasantness. Though as an introvert, I have always practiced it. Few things annoy me more than people who feel the need to walk into my personal space without first being invited. Or those who try to walk right past “employee only” signs and into business back rooms. The fact that social distancing during the current unpleasantness has made that unthinkable is greatly pleasing to me in a great many ways.

If more people followed such a rational idea of maintaining appropriate personal space we would not have to even worry about the current unpleasantness. Especially if they took the equally rational precautions of washing their hands or not coughing on other people. Unfortunately, not everybody does, and so we have our current unpleasantness. One that can only be mitigated by changing the entire paradigm of what most people consider to be normal society. It is my profound hope that Social Distancing as we now understand it becomes the new normal.

The various jokes on the internet about this being the day I was made for are not far off. Though they are dark jokes, trying to hide the ugliness of the current unpleasantness. People are dying. A great tragedy for everyone. And many more people are losing their livelihoods. A further tragedy for all.

Orders in some States to shut down businesses have brought many industries built over literal centuries to a complete stop. The economic engine that built the world we know right now, the cars we drive, and the internet we talk to everybody on right now, has come to a screeching, screaming halt. We’re crawling right now, and I don’t know what it is going to take to restart all of this.

And to make it worse, States like New York that demand we accept their people traveling to our areas do not realize they are acting exactly like China when it demanded that nations not blockade their travel when they were the source of all of this. We delayed the Wuhan Virus’ arrival in America by blocking direct travel from China, but all those nations who caved to Chinese pressure have suffered. Look to Italy as an example of that. And now New York is the center of all this in America, because people came from China to other countries, and then passed it on to us through there.

Social Distancing must be maintained, both on an individual, and a societal scale, if we are make it through this current unpleasantness with the least amount of pain. And the more we let bullies drive us into ignoring it because they don’t feel the need to observe it, the more people will die. We don’t need to shut down our businesses and our economy to bring this Wuhan Virus to an end. We need to observe our personal and our cultural space.

Keep others at a distance. Especially those who are sick. Or who are vulnerable. Not because we don’t like you, but because we DO like you. Because we want you to be safe. Because we want you to live. The key here is not to keep Social Distance because you are afraid of what other people will do to you. Keep it because you wish what is best for them. Because you would not presume to invade their personal space. Their security. Their life.

Good fences make good neighbors. Personal space makes everybody happy.

Accept this new term called Social Distancing and recognize the very old idea that it represents. Protection. Security. Space. Relaxation. For everyone. If we do, the world will be a more enjoyable place when all of this is over.