How ironic is it that a year of forced isolation has actually provided us the ability to connect with each other in a deep, meaningful and global scale?
“How are you doing?” has shifted from a casual greeting to a meaningful invitation to connect through a common, shared experience.
Pick any place on a map or on Google earth and drill down to a country, state, city, town, neighborhood or home and you will discover people all challenged to solve the same puzzle and face down the same foe. While language, culture, and geography vary greatly, the questions are much the same:
Is it just a cough?
Will I get to see my parents again?
Is it OK to. . . ?
When will we. . . ?
How will I ever. . . ?
What if. . . ?
I believe that one of the greatest treasures and opportunities from this past year has been the gift of empathy—both given and received. More than ever before, we are all invited to see ourselves in other people’s stories and see them in ours. I am hopeful that this new world view can create bonds and connections not easily broken. At a time when we cannot be together, we can connect in a most empathetic and meaningful way. Here and now, it has never been easier to find something in common with people you’ve never met.
Common ground is a powerful place. It’s a place where we can sow the seeds of understanding, compassion, partnership, friendship and shared vision, and allow something new and unexpected to grow.
So, as we move forward towards a future freed from this pandemic, let’s stick together. Let’s lean into one another and life’s lessons learned from a year of connection while apart. In the words of Winston Churchill: “Never let a good crisis go to waste.”
What about you? What has the past year taught you?
Image Credit: Inesa Cebanu on Unsplash
