Having Community is Important
On the importance of being connected.
People are social creatures. I’ve known it my whole life, but this has become way more apparent to me now during this pandemic. We need our social circles, our network, our community. They are our family, friends, relatives, colleagues, classmates and acquaintances that we interact with. We may interact with them regularly or once in a blue moon, but they are still the people in your life. They are the people who positively feed and fulfill your soul. They satisfy your inherent need for social interaction: someone to talk to, someone to listen, someone to give you feedback, or just someone to share mental space with for a brief moment in time.
With the pandemic, our physical interactions in general have decreased. I haven’t physically seen most of my friends and family in almost a year. I’ve only physically seen some people from a distance: from inside my car, behind glass or plastic barriers.
At least with this pandemic, we can interact with people online. I see most of my colleagues online through video streaming services (like Zoom). I’ve had some hangouts with friends this way, but it still isn’t the norm for me. I text the people I’m close to. Other than that, I stay connected with people through my social media networks (FB, Instagram, Twitter).
Since we’re in the middle of the holiday season, it’s important to be able to stay connected with people who support you. It’s always been important to surround yourself with people like that, but now, it’s especially important; the hard part is, many of us are physically distant.
So, I’m going to put more effort in staying connected with the people in my life. It’s important especially now, during a time when people are struggling and we are isolated. I’m going to cultivate my community. I hope others are doing so also.
