Speed Bump


This is day 3 of the county-wide shelter-in-place order to control the spread of Corona virus. With the increasingly grim news from around the state and country, it seems more and more unlikely that things will return to normal any time soon. It seems bizarre how quickly things have changed. Here we all were, even two weeks ago, consumed with our full lives, packed with personal and professional commitments and a never-ending list of To-Do's. The economy booming, unemployment at an all-time low, real-estate prices sky rocketing -- we were invincible. Not even the impeachment of a sitting President could slow down the juggernaut of capitalism. Till a global pandemic came along and we all hit a giant speed bump.


I am not one for conspiracy theories, but, I cannot help but think that this is a grand conspiracy of the natural world to slow us down and put things in perspective. Why else would this virus disrupt our daily schedules, often filled with trivial tasks and distractions, and force us to spend more time with our families? Why would it make us practice "social distancing" and in turn, help us realize how much we crave human interactions?

I saw a post in one of our neighborhood online forums for a "5:00 Wave." The post encouraged everyone living in a neighborhood block to come out to the sidewalk in front of their houses every day at 5:00 PM and wave at their neighbors. "This would be a fun way to stay connected even though we are stuck at home," the post said. I found the gesture cute, yet a little ironic. We typically prefer to lead isolated lives with very little time for direct interaction with neighbors. The physical separation of our homes is such that months can pass by without crossing paths with our neighbors. This is a vey different living situation from the apartment block I grew up in where every coming and going was closely scrutinized and interrogated by several neighborhood "aunties." Now, we spend a lot of time "socializing" on social media, but very little time in authentic human interactions. And for those of us who shy away from social media, we are so wrapped up in the forced socialization of work, that there is hardly any room to cultivate other relationships. Yet, here we are, trying to think up creative ways of remaining in physical contact in a time of enforced "social distancing."

Speed bumps are good things. They are put in place to slow down traffic, increase pedestrian safety, and prevent accidents. May be, the Corona virus speed bump will be a good thing for us in some ways. May be, we all needed to take a collective deep breath. May be, the economy needed a correction. May be, we all needed a reminder about the important things in life -- health, companionship, and compassion.

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