Staying connected as we navigate our way through COVID-19

It really is hard to believe that this is our time. The uncertainty we faced together at the beginning of this pandemic was in part tempered by a strong belief that flattening the curve would allow life to return to normal again. Now that we have been so successful in this phase (you just need to look at the impact across the globe in countries that have not done so well to say we’ve been successful), our hope that life will return to normal quickly is being tested and the reality of the risk that still exists is so much clearer. The emerging events in Victoria will test us again, and hope can give way to fear as we realise that we are still vulnerable.

The past few months have been very challenging for us all, both in our personal and professional life. As I’ve mentioned before it is rare for something to consume our focus in those domains concurrently. It is still important to remember to switch off devices, unplug from the news and do things that help you experience all the good things in your life.

One thing harder to manage right now is our ability to connect. Being together is so important when we feel uncertain, uneasy, anxious or worried. The explosion of social virtual catch-ups is testament to our human need to connect, but it doesn’t quite fill the void left by not being physically together. We can imagine a world where we don’t use cash, or work remotely, or access entertainment and services in other ways, but can we really imagine a world where we can’t reach out and touch one another? I think for many people this is the hardest thing of all.

Those who know me, know that like about 25% of the Australian community I was born in another country and while I’ve been here for nearly 18 years most of my family live in Ireland. I remember when we arrived here all those years ago we would regularly remind ourselves (probably to soothe a little bit of loneliness as new arrivals) that if we needed to be there we could jump on a plane and be ‘home’ in 24 hours. That doesn’t seem so true right now and I’m really not sure when we’ll get back home to see our parents, families and friends.

The realisation that our ability to physically connect will be limited for a considerable period of time, and the reintroduction of restrictions in some area of Melbourne, will undoubtedly bring a real sense of fatigue, along with questions like how long will this last? or when will it all end?. So, staying as connected as we can, looking after one another and remembering to be kind to ourselves and others is more important than ever as we battle the ebb and flow of our resolve.

I was reminded last week of an exchange in Tolkien’s The Fellowship of the Ring, when Frodo turns to Gandalf and says ‘I wish it need not have happened in my time’. Gandalf’s reply, might be something Tolkien, drawing on his experience of war, would say to us today if we were to seek to understand why this is happening in our time, ‘So do I, and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time given to us.’

While we cannot change our time, what we do and how we respond to the challenges of the time are for us to decide. That should give us all great hope.