Social Distancing Doesn’t Break The Social Fabric

Azad Hussain
It is the fact that social distancing, so far, has proved the best way to retain the excessive spread of catastrophic and deadly disease covid-19 caused by the most infamous and contiguous pathogen called coronavirus. However, has social distancing any demerit for a good social life or not, is the context of this article. To limit the covid-19 outbreak, the necessary measure to ensure social distancing is lockdown which has affected the economy of whole world very badly, but there is no negative impact of social distancing on social life. So far as social values are concerned, social distancing virtually keeps the fabric of social life intact.However, apparently social life which is correlated with togetherness seems contrary with social distancing. Because togetherness is the basis of good social life and distancing or isolation is against the togetherness. But when distancing is ensured for well being of others then it becomes selflessness or in other words you can say it is also a good social value.Social education teaches us to eradicate social evils from society and to live a good social life with mutual dependence by living together, sharing together, learning together, working together, praying together etc. Besides that every religion teaches us the lessons of mutual respect, selflessness, solidarity compassion and empathy. But when it comes to distancing, social life which seems losing its worth, is indirectly gaining it’s relevance, for those who are keen to help each other at the time of distress, by leaps and bounds. Because it gives everyone an opportunity to be compassionate and helpful for others in one way or the other. To live a good social life people need to remain in bounds, that is to remain away from every kind of evils, to be cooperative with and helpful for their coinhabitants. A famous philosopher and writer Rousseau has well said that “man is born free and everywhere he is in chains.” I don’t know well in what context he has said this, but to me it fits good in “to live a good social life we should remain aware about social bounds”. It is said that visiting the families of ailing persons, afflicted families, at the time of distress to share the grief and visiting the families of relatives, friends and neighbours then asking them their what abouts on routine basis are counted among good social values. However, social distancing, which is a best weapon to defeat coronavirus, keeps us physically away from each other and keeps us physically away from acting up on those routine practices good for a well social life. And It apparently seems altogether against the good social life, but going to its deep context we should understand , so far as the safety of humankind is concerned social distancing adds up the social quality in a the people. The more socially conscious people are the more concerned about the health of themselves and others they are. Amidst the whole period of lockdown, people have shown their concern towards helping the poor and those in need by contributing directly or indirectly either personally or through NGOs. This is another aspect of good social value.
It is right that social distancing isolates people physically, but in present era when social media platforms and other modes of communication are at easy access to all, the people can reach out to each other through the means of same, in this way they keep the social fabric of society up and live virtually a good social life.
Humans are born with feelings like belongingness, affection for nears and dears and emotions. That is why they don’t want to live life away from their families relatives and friends. But social distancing makes them pay the cost of all these things for the well being of humankind. People prefer to give up handshaking, give up visiting relatives, give up taking part in funerals, event to give up praying together in religious places for the good of society as a whole. This is the extent humans can go to, when it comes to live for each other. This in other words is caring for each other. So the social distancing amounts extraordinary measures for socialization in real sense.So people need to be social in the sense that they should adhere the advisories from administration for the safety of all. Be it adopting a good social distancing, quarantine themselves, revealing contact and travel history or any other advisory, people need not to hesitate but to ensure good cooperation in the regard. However, it is very unfortunate on their part that some people despite having contact history or having chances of being positive deliberately conceal their detailed history before health authorities, thereby they put not only their families in danger but they also don’t spare their neighbours and relatives from getting infected. Some even don’t care and knowingly mix up with the people, who later turn out to be time bombs for the community. Such kind of contacting with others which would badly create a massive harm to the people should not be called a social contact but a harmful contact. This misbehavior definitely puts such kind of people, who don’t act up on social distancing, in the category of antisocial elements. So in present scenario of covid-19 social distancing is a social attribute and not against social life. It is right that social distancing isolates people physically, but in present era when social media platforms and other modes of communication are at easy access to all, the people can reach out to each other through the means of same, in this way they keep the social fabric of society up and live virtually a good social life. Apart from that various social organisation are extending their helping hand to needy during these toughest times through online banking or other means, this is the demo of another social attribute of people during these lockdown days.
( The author is a teacher by profession. Views are his own, [email protected])