Like everyone else on the planet my life has been transformed by the arrival among us of Coronavirus. It is one of those events which will most probably change how we live our lives forever. Historians will look at this period of human history and say what we as humanity did right and wrong in the fight and defeat of Coronavirus.
Prior to the virus arriving we lived in our own families and shared other times with our friends and with other social and working groups. Like all other mammals we are social beings and so when the concept of ‘Social Distancing’ came into being recently it changed instincts and daily life completly. Where our basic instinct is to share physical contact to show love and care for each other different strands of the same family can now not share that need. This creates a huge stress on our mental health. Mental health has gained more attention recently and with arrival of Coronavirus it will be in even sharper focus. We now rely on social media and video calls to see those we love and care for that do not share our homes. When I was a young boy in the mining town of Blaenau Ffestiniog people used walk up to a neighbour’s house and knock on the door and walk in. The community we belonged to knew and cared for one another. We need to be that kind of community again.
The virus doesn’t care who we are or what nation or culture come from. As we have seen lately all kinds of sporting, cultural and religious gatherings have been set aside as we fight this virus. What we all have to realise is it will turn on us all if we do not follow the directions deemed the most effective by those in charge of the policy for fighting this virus. We are fighting this together whoever we are. All thoughts about what we think of others are set aside so that lives can be saved.
Togetherness is something which we have not recognised for a number of years here in the UK. When this horrible virus is beaten and plans are put in place to ensure our safety if it ever returns I really hope that we as humanity will recognise that it was togetherness that got us through this. Baroness Thatcher told an audience in the Church of Scotland some years ago that ‘there was no such thing as society’. Society is the thing that we as individuals are crying out for today. The society which works together and shows kindness to our friends and neighbours but also welcomes those who we don’t yet know. Togetherness needs us to care for those around us so that when problems arise we can tackle them together. Let’s not throw away a new society where 750,000 have volunteered to help the NHS. Let’s stay out there thinking how we can help others. As the American Live Aid anthem of the 80’s announced, ‘We are the World’. We only have one World and we need to live in it together. The virus will go but humanity will not. Stay safe, stay healthy so we can finally get together again.
Huws Hideout 