Covid has transformed all of our lives. My little family is fortunate to have our health and choices. Our mode and location of travel is not what we had planned, but we took baby steps in these crazy times. The most fundamental difference was that we were unable to make deep connections and get to know people due to social distancing. As such, for me our travel this fall has only highlighted my own and society’s social dysfunction.
While Kenny and I are more introverted by nature, Ricardo is a social butterfly. He thrives on social interaction and he has had the greatest difficulty with social isolation. He looks at the world with curiosity and the idealism of a child. I feel that social distancing has allowed me to revert to my default behavior, observing others from the outside. Travel was supposed to challenge me to ask people questions, get to know them, their cultures and locations more intimately. I wanted to be less inhibited and more curious like my son.
In 2020, however, the tension is palpable. Is it mine or other’s that I feel? As a healthcare provider I feel a responsibility to protect others because we have been traveling around the country, potentially spreading Covid. We have been wearing masks and avoiding crowded, indoor places, washing hands to protect ourselves and others. I evaluate the pandemic from a purely scientific perspective and believe in the medical oathe: “first do no harm”. Yet it is my respect and concern for others that sometimes triggers disdain and comments from those who, for whatever reason, chose to disregard Covid as a risk.
The diversity in this country should make us stronger, not divided. We should all be more curious, having more conversations about the things that make us uncomfortable and seem incomprehensible to understand each other’s point of view. Instead I hid behind my mask and observed as others hid behind theirs. I understand the science behind the necessity of a mask, but I believe the masks and social distancing have also widened the division in this country as we become more isolated, narrow minded and defensive. I recognize that on this trip I missed an opportunity to educate myself and understand my neighbors. I cannot change the past, but in the future I will make the effort to step outside my comfort zone and ask more questions for my own edification. I may not change someone else’s opinions, but I may gain some insight to their opinions and pain. We all desire and deserve to be heard and seen for who we are. It doesn’t have to be an argument or a debate. Maybe it’s not even necessary to volunteer my own opinion. That will likely be the hardest part. Perhaps if people feel heard they will be willing to listen and ask their own questions. Isn’t that how a conversation starts? What can you do to narrow or bridge the divide? How can we begin healing this fractured country and see each other again?
Three World Travelers 