Impact of Social Distancing if it stays on after pandemic
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Impact of Social Distancing if it stays on after pandemic
By Social Distancing, i refer to keeping a safe distance between people as individuals, but not like group distancing. In nature, social distancing can be understood as keeping territory. Tigers do that, and so do leopards. Territory is comfort zone. Boundary is marked by scent of body secretion. But we humans are social animals, or more descriptive, complex social animals. We thrive in groups, like elephants and lions. Our comfort zone may be small, but it has always been around even if not noticed. Hence it would be incorrect to take social distancing as some newfangled idea. What is so worrisome is the impact of the considerable expansion of social distancing on our future. Say each person draws a circle with radius of 1 meter. Enough if everyone follows the rule. What if some does not. Safety is assured only if the radius is increase to 2 meters, as presently in vogue. The comfort/safety zone, even if reduced to a circle of 1 meter radius, can have strong if not devastating impact Financially, Religiously, Socially, and Ideologically.
Financially
If airplane, bus, train, and ship has to space passengers 2 meters apart, they will carry much fewer passengers. imagine only first class provided on plane. Travel will become very expensive, at least for me. I may as well rule out cruising in the Caribbean. Sweat shops will be out. Production lines will have to be slowed outside hearing range, but cut meat and cars will be more expensive.
Religiously
Shaking hand is out. Only waving after church service. Can the distance kept by community members be inversely proportional to member closeness and concern? Does Heaven also require distancing? Are we still a flock to follow the shepherd, or are we each seeking salvation?
Socially
Each keeping safe distance for self-preservation and security against one another. Isn't that anti-social? Embrace, kiss, and more are kept to minimum. Fewer "Give me a hug, Son. I love you." and "Girls night out". Routine work and home ,or worse, home office and talk through internet. The loss of personal contact can be devastating.
Ideologically
Take the narrow interpretation that Socialism is advocating for the welfare of community, and capitalism for that of the individual, would the entrenchment of social distancing bring forward opposing ideologies advocating for or against the social aspect of this animal.
I would welcome you to comment. Please distinguish on each of the four aspects above.
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Re: Impact of Social Distancing if it stays on after pandemic
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Re: Impact of Social Distancing if it stays on after pandemic
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Re: Impact of Social Distancing if it stays on after pandemic
The problem is that one generation learns a lesson, and then they die. And the following generations typically have to learn the same lesson over again.
How many people alive today had even heard of the 1918 pandemic before this one hit? I was only vaguely aware of it myself.
Human beings have been attacked by viruses over and over and over again throughout history, and we rarely learn that much from the experience, as evidenced by how unprepared we were for this pandemic.
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Re: Impact of Social Distancing if it stays on after pandemic
Lesson learned is passed from generation to generation, from your father to you, and from you to your kids. You were faintly aware of the 1918 pandemic because so much water has passed under the bridge since 1918. You keep the lesson in the back of your head. When the time comes, you refresh lesson from memory and from history books. You become smarter this time round. You are smarter than your ancestor in the Stone Age. This is why we study history.NukeBan wrote: ↑May 6th, 2020, 8:01 amThe problem is that one generation learns a lesson, and then they die. And the following generations typically have to learn the same lesson over again.
How many people alive today had even heard of the 1918 pandemic before this one hit? I was only vaguely aware of it myself.
Human beings have been attacked by viruses over and over and over again throughout history, and we rarely learn that much from the experience, as evidenced by how unprepared we were for this pandemic.
- Arelle
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Re: Impact of Social Distancing if it stays on after pandemic
Even though I think you have some good points, I think you also have some weak ones. First of all, I think social distancing isn't something we'll have to get used in a long-term. Human beings are social beings, meaning we're forcing ourselves to maintain social distancing in order to protect ourselves and our beloved ones safe, not because it's more comfortable for us or because we want to.
I'd like to say, about this, that I really appreciate people able to understand that this is bigger than us right now and it's what we have to do as a community (I wanted to add this because I think some people keep thinking the "individuals' freedom" is more important and I think they're missing the point).
Anyway, I don't think social distancing is going to have a huge impact in economy, not more than the rest of consequences and measures to fight the pandemic. Financially the most, that for sure, not only on planes or public transport but also in work spaces (HR departments are going to have a huge challenge, same as schools), but religiously, socially and ideologically? I don't think so. It's a good reflection, though.
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Re: Impact of Social Distancing if it stays on after pandemic
You are right to point out that, as a social animal, we may not be that comfortable staying apart. More precisely, we have a much smaller comfortable zone than, say, the tiger. In this context, social distancing is more a statement than a measurement.Arelle wrote: ↑July 29th, 2020, 6:30 am I'd like to play my part in this debate.
Even though I think you have some good points, I think you also have some weak ones. First of all, I think social distancing isn't something we'll have to get used in a long-term. Human beings are social beings, meaning we're forcing ourselves to maintain social distancing in order to protect ourselves and our beloved ones safe, not because it's more comfortable for us or because we want to.
I'd like to say, about this, that I really appreciate people able to understand that this is bigger than us right now and it's what we have to do as a community (I wanted to add this because I think some people keep thinking the "individuals' freedom" is more important and I think they're missing the point).
Anyway, I don't think social distancing is going to have a huge impact in economy, not more than the rest of consequences and measures to fight the pandemic. Financially the most, that for sure, not only on planes or public transport but also in work spaces (HR departments are going to have a huge challenge, same as schools), but religiously, socially and ideologically? I don't think so. It's a good reflection, though.
On the other hand, more often than not, we are forced by circumstance into what not "we want to". Should the circumstance vanishes, the painful experience as from the pandemic remains, lest we forget. The present question: how long will it persist, and what lesson have we learnt such that the lesson will be etched into our future?
Each pandemic is different. We have the Black Death in the Middle Ages, and the Spanish Flu. I am inclined to believe that, in conjunction with world overpopulation, modern health science, the information age, and continual affluence, the emergence of social distancing from this pandemic would have far-reaching influence on our social-economic model.
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