In my last article, I shared my thoughts on how the pandemic may pave the way for us all to consciously strive to protect others from all harm not just from the virus but all harm to body, mind, and soul. The pandemic, as horrible as it is, may be giving us a way to protect others by practicing physical-distancing and wearing face masks.
You would think that these two things would be relatively easy to do, but they are not because they are the exact opposite of our cultural conditioning. Before covid-19, it was rude to back away from people or cross the street to avoid them. Now, by doing so we may be protecting them from catching the virus. Before, it was polite to acknowledge people with a pleasant expression when we made eye-contact—no words required. Now, a facemask hides our expression and we must talk in a friendly tone if we wish to connect. These changes are hard work.
I don't mean the same kind of hard work required by essential workers, first-responders, healthcare providers, and soldiers in warzones. Nonetheless, physical-distancing and wearing facemasks though seemingly simple are hard work. If they were easy to do, we would all be doing them. But we are not.
A few weeks ago, I was in an elevator when a man got on without a facemask. I automatically leaned against the elevator wall to give us as much physical distance as possible. I made a joke about it, and when we got off at the main floor of the building, he said, "None of my friends are wearing masks. I might wear one if they did." I said, "Maybe they are just waiting for someone else to do it first. The mask isn't to protect me…it's to protect you. I might have the virus and not know it. This mask, stops any of my droplets that might contain the virus from reaching you." He got a quizzical look on his face and said, "I'll think about it."
I had a similar conversation with one of my students, a young woman who is now required to go into her office once a week for in-person meetings. She and her coworkers are trying to physically distance as much as possible in their meeting rooms, but no one is wearing a mask. I asked her if she would wear one to protect other people. She said she would. I hope she does.
In a recent Torah class with Rabbi Kaplan, one idea we explored was that when we walk with G--d, we get where we need to go; when we act against G-d's wishes we wander. When it comes to G-d's wish for us to respect every human being as important, and to hold all life as sacred, we have been wandering for centuries. As horrible as it is, the pandemic is offering us an opportunity to stop that wandering.
We have been taught to see some people as having more value than others, which has stopped us from protecting them. And there are so many things beyond our control that it seems impossible to protect everyone, but physical-distancing and facemasks are two actions we can do now to help protect the people we see every day. Those two actions will help us all become more caring and compassionate for every life around us. Those two actions could pave the way to a new world where every life matters.
May you all stay safe, stay calm, and stay positive.
Fiona Prince, MA is a coach, facilitator and teacher who provides fundamental communication and writing skills to help people succeed in their professional and academic lives. She worships at the Chabad Family Shul where she volunteers teaching children and adults how to read Hebrew. Sign-up for weekly communication tips at www.princeheron.com. To learn to read Hebrew, contact her at [email protected]. (Morah means teacher and Faiga is her Hebrew name).
You can read more articles on our interfaith blog, Spiritually Speaking, HERE
Photo of child with heart by Anna Kolosyuk on Unsplash
