Turn social distancing into relationships

The expression that every crisis holds opportunities places itself toward the top of cliché list. Much overused. It is certainly true that calamities unmask possibilities for betterment. But how?

Plato said: “Human behavior flows from three main sources: desire, emotion and knowledge.” That illustrates a good road map for our behavior coming out of this coronavirus pandemic. As we step out from the last phase of the lockdown, our success over this crisis hinges on our desire to live cleaner and better, manage our emotions and add to our knowledge.

One thing is for certain. Social distancing will continue to be with us. Power of hug no more. Overtaken by the strength of smile under a mask from at least 6 feet away. “Elbowshake” to substitute handshake. Text emoji for a kiss, but not land a real one.

Many norms have changed. Work from home is the practice of today. Employers will encourage more of that after the shelter in place ends. Getting people together in crowded conference rooms and touching shoulders with the next person, has disappeared. In fact, we need to find a substitute phrase for “rubbing shoulders.”

The COVID-19 crisis has taken place in the age of smartphones and tablets. Global mobility accelerated the spread of this deadly virus. Mobile devices, however, empowered citizens all over the world to remain informed and get guidance.

Digitalization has transformed our lives. That may be an understatement, but it is instructive to reflect on it occasionally. No doubt it has created tremendous benefits. It has made all of us more productive, and has enhanced our lives.

Technology has also created distance between us. A daughter more often than not these days, texts a love emoji to her mother, rather that saying it to her. Teenagers are more at ease with the games on their smartphones than speaking to their parents about the goings-on in their lives. Agog for learning through listening appears to be a practice of the past.

This epidemic and its shelter in place byproduct have forced people to rethink their lives, and re-examine the typical daily habits. That includes how people interact with each other, which may in fact lead to better and valued patterns.

Professionally, as folks get accustomed to Zoom video calls instead of in-person meetings, social distancing plays its part to bring in newness. Companies have found that employees under the same roof can be detrimental to productivity. Twitter has already implemented the standards for its employees to work remote indefinitely. That will more likely be the norm than exception for many technology companies in Silicon Valley.

People are also reshaping their private lives, eliminating get-togethers almost altogether. It has particularly not been easy on new student graduates missing on all the traditional festivities. Thankfully, technology has alleviated that by providing online platforms for celebrations. Even the paradigm for checking on elderly relatives has shifted.

All in all, we did not do a good job of absorbing technology to create better human contacts. But, now that we know social distancing will be here to stay, we have a chance of creating a significant value out of that. We can leverage social distancing into meaningful relationships, virtually.

Distance should not impede communication. The first dialogue trait to muster is the recognition that at the other end of the social distance exists another human being. Don’t blow away the opportunity to be human to another human. That’s the definition of humanity and civility. Pivot around that, and create a relationship while maintaining the distance for safety and not being a pathogenic virus carrier.

Our lives enrich when we have more relationships, be it with a family member, a new friend or a novel colleague. Now that we have the technology means, creating valued and lasting relationships out of the inevitable social distancing ought to be appealing.

Francis Bacon said: “The worst solitude is to have no real friendships.” Our lives are hollow if we cannot build personal and professional relationships. Distance may even help to focus on important ingredients of closeness of minds and feelings.

Reflect on Bacon’s words and steer away from letting distance jawbone closeness. As we bob from underneath of this crisis, turn your life into a tasty full enchilada and build those distanced relationships. One relationship at a time will suffice. Carpe diem!

Jahan Alamzad is a management consultant. He lives in San Carlos, California, and can be followed on Twitter @jahan_alamzad.