NOW THAT WE HAVE TIME. WHAT COVID-19 HAS GIVEN US

LET’S REFLECT ON WHAT REALLY MATTERS

We currently find ourselves in a difficult, unfamiliar situation, never experienced before. We are confined to our homes without knowing exactly how long it will last, how many people will fall ill or die. We watch with frustration as the disease spreads, and we are given cold statistics that, in reality, correspond to people. People who are just like us and who have fallen ill or passed away. They are parents, grandparents, siblings or children of other people who are suffering from this illness or its consequences in their homes, alone, without the support of their loved ones. In these times, when technology gave us immediacy, online shopping, communication via Skype, and social media full of virtual friends, what it was actually taking away from us was our defining trait as human beings, socialising. No human being can be happy without being social, without sharing their joy or sadness with a loved one, without hugging their child when something goes wrong, without holding the hand of a grandparent who is afraid when taken to the doctor. I believe this age of digitalisation has made us more efficient, yes, but also more inhuman. I believe that to be happier we need to feel more for others, not through Skype, not through WhatsApp, but for real, together with one another. We need to be able to look our fellow human beings in the eye and ask if we can help them, give them a hug if they need it, or hold their hand if they are afraid.

Now that we have time, time that COVID-19 has given us, I think we should stop and reflect on what is important, on our human relationships. We all have children, spouses, siblings, parents or grandparents, and there is still time; in fact, we have plenty of time. Let’s think about how, when this is over, we can grow close to them again, meet up for a coffee and a chat, take some sweets to a grandparent, or visit that relative we haven’t seen in so long. We could call that friend we drifted apart from because of a misunderstanding or because they had a different point of view from ours, which, now that we have some distance, no longer seems so important.

Let’s make the most of this time and stay in touch with those who matter to us; let’s let them know that we love them, that we miss them and that we can’t wait to see them again. Let’s plan our next meetings and reunions with them: family dinners, visits to grandparents, drinks with friends,… let’s get back to what truly matters, people. In doing so, we will help make others happier, as well as ourselves. Let’s build a more humane society that never forgets its values; otherwise, that society will suffer from loneliness and unhappiness for failing to realise that, in reality, other people are what matter most.