Coronavirus Series: The irony that in keeping our distance we can become closer than ever before.
Do you know what happened to suicide rates after the September 11 attacks in New York, in 2001?
They decreased.
The same was also true of mental health symptoms in already hospitalised patients. Accounts of New Yorkers at this time reflect on the immediate post-9–11 period nostalgically… because there was a strong bond and unity throughout the city, in the spirit of resilience and togetherness.
These are some of the findings reported in Sebastian Junger’s phenomenal book Tribe: On Homecoming and Belonging which I thoroughly recommend.
This book explores why soldiers and societies will often prefer war-time and trauma — incredibly because these times tend to bring people together, when peace time only succeeds at keeping them apart.
The synopsis is that homo sapiens were once part of the tribe — a small, interconnected and heavily co-dependent community where there was always a sense of belonging.
Whilst we still retain the biology that delivers meaning and belonging in this way, our very urban, post-industrial world clashes with this programming. This is why suicide rates are reportedly higher in more affluent areas — as our level of comfort goes up, so to it appears, does our degree of isolation.
Junger, the author of the book, deliberately lives in a lower socio-economic neighborhood in New York. Why? Because such a community is where people depend on and need each other much more: The results of which are a greater sense of belonging and less isolation.
What would you choose, affluence, or community?
Coronavirus and Community
So how does this relate to the chaotic and unprecedented pandemic we are all facing?
Using some of the lessons of Junger’s book, I had a feeling when things turned serious that there would be numerous benefits to this crippling pandemic — if it weren’t for its impact on the elderly and immuno-compromised, as well as small business owners, I would be happy that it was happening.
Despite keeping as strictly to social distancing as possible, I went down to my friend’s cafe yesterday morning to pick up a coffee. She’d just opened several months ago and then coronavirus dealt a swift blow, forcing all restaurants and cafes to become take-away only.
I’d never been to the cafe before, but now, amidst ‘crisis’, I found myself compelled to go visit to support her business. The vibe was different to what it would usually be — but there was still a buzzing, still an electricity in the air.
It was perhaps some fraction of the togetherness feel that is reported for people after 9–11. I feel it now when I drive around, and even when I wash my hands and stay at home.
That feeling of doing something for the benefit of the community. That feeling that we are all in this together which is absent except in times of difficulty. In my home in Australia, we have recently faced trials by drought and by bush fires… but nothing has gripped a whole nation or world in this way during my lifetime.
Despite being asked to stay home and keep our distance, we have tools in this generation that can help us stay connected and in touch in some way — mobile phones, social media, face time…
What we are seeing now is the extent to which we can coordinate as a wider collective, as well as the lengths we will go to to preserve our human connections.
For instance, last night would normally have been karaoke night for one of my friendship groups, usually reserved for the last Saturday of the month. In lieu of this, we facetimed and shared a few karaoke bangers via a ‘watch party’!
We are now united against a common conflict. Young people in particular, who are less at risk, are asked to make short-term sacrifices for the long-term benefit of at-risk groups like the elderly, as well as wider society. What an interesting challenge and measure of our ability to think outside our own little worlds…
In future, we might actually look back on this time with nostalgia — a time where we cut out a lot of the bullshit in our lives, and spent time instead on things that were more substantial, such as support and contribution.
A time where we were required to keep indoors, and at least 1.5 metres apart. A time, we will likely recall, where despite a physical distance, we experienced a greater sense of closeness than we’d known before.
But if we are to go by the findings in Tribe: On Homecoming and Belonging… then we have to assume that once the virus is behind is, that any heightened sense of belonging won’t last. It will not be a permanent change, but it will in all likelihood, be fleeting.
Coronavirus is not a long-term solution to creating and maintaining a greater sense of community and belonging. But what we can do is take the lessons from it, and try to integrate those. To try and sew the seeds of community into daily life after realising just how worthwhile and important they can be.
Thank you for reading! By Joe Wehbe
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