A society behind closed doors
The pandemic robbed us of the warmth we experienced in our homes, and brought Apps into our lives.
AFP
Eunice Schleier (left) takes a picture of her 81-year-old mother Olivia Schleier through a window at the Premier Hospital, in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on May 28, 2020.
Many countries went into lockdown. Several cities imposed restrictions on the movement of people. Here in the UAE, we had a disinfection drive. All these helped keep people indoors to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
So we remained cloistered in our homes. When days turned into weeks, and weeks became months, homes ceased to be homes. It used to be a place filled with warmth and laughter of our loved ones. A place that provided rest and relaxation. All that changed.
Homes became offices and classrooms. We worked from home, while our children attended classes online. Our worlds collided. We moved to cyberspace, and our lives took a new trajectory. Online shopping and banking took care of daily needs; social interactions were through WhatsApps; get-togethers with friends and family took place on Zoom and Google Meet. Entertainment was streamed into living rooms: We watched movies and television series on Netflix, Amazon Prime and Apple +. The internet facilitated all that.
Apps too made our lives in cyberspace easier. If we couldn’t eat out, apps brought the menus to us, and the food delivered to our door. There’s an app for everything: groceries, laundry, and even petrol. Telemedicine took care of the consultations with doctors. We didn’t have to step out. The world came home. That’s the new normal.
Office assignments were not a problem; children’s classes continued; our lives went on uninterrupted. Still, something was missing. The human touch. Without face-to-face interaction, our lives didn’t mean much. We always never knew that workplaces and classrooms were integral to our mental well-being.
Aristotle was right. Man [humans] is a social animal, the Greek philosopher said. We can’t survive in isolation. The internet may keep us connected, but there are some events and activities that keep the fabric of a community intact. Weddings, birthdays and funerals have a special place in our lives. All of them have been reduced to token events.
Well, you could argue it was excessive before the time of coronavirus. It was, but a watered-down version too doesn’t help. Every dead person deserves a proper farewell. A time to remember them and their accomplishments. A handful of mourners is sheer injustice to the lives that touched so many. That’s not normal.