Physical Distancing Does Not Equal Social Distancing.
Pandemic.
Its a scary word especially when coupled with another word in a manner that no one could be in favour of, that word is 'global'.
The arrival of Covid-19 has caused a state of emergency all across our planet requiring our species to, in some ways, go against our instincts. The world has been confronted with a challenge to such a degree that more and more people are required to maintain a physical distance, not just for their own safety but for that of those loved ones that they interact with. Human's have survived and evolved by working in groups, tribes, communities and even nations. Now our survival hinges on staying apart, so what else can we do, except evolve again, this time changing our definitions of tribe, or community.
In the midst of this global experience we have seen the rise of the term 'social distancing'. Though the term may have originated from a positive position of intent, the impact of the language cannot be ignored.For many people their social engagements have always occurred at a physical distance, either from personal requirements in regards to a neuro-diversity or even issues of acceptance within their localized communities.
The innovations of human ingenuity over the last few decades has raised a system of connectivity by which messages, sounds, and video can be sent from one side of the world to the other at speeds such that the interaction could be seen as instantaneous. Services exist through which I can cast my voice across our entire globe and those listening will hear the words as soon as they have passed my lips, and indeed reply just as fast. As a child of the 80's whose first household phone was an old rotary machine with very poor audio quality, I do truly feel like I'm living in some fantastic future.
So with this hugely powerful system available to us, physical locality becomes less of a mandatory requirement for socialization. From Bebo to Myspace, to Facebook and Google+ we have found ways to socialise in this virtual realm. With World of Warcraft and other inline games we have found a way to share in stories and entertainments. Communities have formed based around interests and passions with relationships blossoming between people who may have never set foot on each others continent. The world is a vast a varied space, but now we are closer than ever before through the power of the world wide web.
For all that the web brings us closer there are people who do not appreciate physical contact or physical closeness for a whole variety of reasons. This is a natural as those who do seek physical connection. Allowing ourselves to explore the language of our phrases can help inform our mindset around these situations. It might be better to rephrase the term 'social distance' to 'physical distance', because even in a post Covid world there will always be non tactile folk who want to socialise. Sometimes they just need help to be clear where the boundaries are.
Physical Distancing Does Not Equal Social Distancing. We're Still Friends, Just don't Fucking Touch me