Articles
Social Distance and Distance Socially?
It has been difficult in a society that has practiced handshakes, hugs and “high fives” to remove those physical expressions of friendship, love, concern and support quickly. All of us learned a seldom regarded term...social distance...when in contact with another person. Moreover, to help reduce spread of the virus, we adopted and adapted masks. Researchers in various fields will work to measure and others will seek to mitigate the psychological impact of social distance on this generation. Yet, another concern strikes me as being an issue a follower of Christ cannot ignore. When we retreated to our homes, and went in to seclusion, did we also distance ourselves socially from others? So, because I cannot go physically to meet with a person...do I add this person to my personal “no call list” and distance myself from them socially? Hopefully, “no” is the answer. Even though we are not in others physical presence, this generation has many ways to stay close together that previous generations did not have when faced with war and illness. So, what do we do? The Bible clearly teaches to “love thy neighbor.” This does not mean only if barriers or problems do not exist. Like the military...we must leave no person behind. Because I have to speak to you by email, texts, Skype or Zoom...this does not mean our message is less important than it was before the pandemic. Maybe our distance socially is now closer than we were before. We now have something we can do every day...try to visit someone electronically or send them a card. It will be a blessing!
