Isolation might be the last thing we want right now, but there are things we can do at times like this to prepare for when things get better(assuming things will get better).
One thing I strongly recommend is practicing empathy and being nice to people. I think it should be easier to achieve, now that most people are in their personal space. You can reflect on the reasons you're nice sometimes and why you're not other times.
Being nice is one of the trickiest things, because most times, it's done at the expense of your immediate satisfaction. Being nice to people mostly leads to them being nice to you in return and other people who will also be nice to them and so many other people too. But choosing to not be nice to people, gives them a reason to not be nice to others.
There's no switch-flipping as fast/hard as when people sense they're being exploited because of their niceness
There's a nice emotion shared in about 70% of human interactions. I make this assumption because most of the world is at peace. People involved in interactions have a chance of having either of the following outcomes;
People with the first feeling, have no problem being nice to the next person they meet. People with the second and third, also have a higher chance of being nice to the next person they meet. People with the fourth, a very low chance of being nice to the next person they meet.
I like to say humans have a tendency to be nice, just like the heart beats. Think of the effectiveness of being nice, like the effectiveness of our heart - tender, brittle, and very efficient. This efficiency manifests in so many ways, even in these hard times.
We continue to help each other out in small and large scales; bill collectors deferring bills for some time, landlords being understanding, and even as daunting and mind-numbing it can get, people are staying home to protect themselves, their loved ones, and others from getting the virus. We can continue being nice as long as there's no threat to it. But just like the heart, the smallest of pricks can cut out the flow.
Some months ago, there was a video that surfaced of the Pope getting his arm pulled by a woman while he was walking through a crowd. The Pope, an 83-year old man, resisted the pulling for a couple of seconds, before using his other hand to give the woman's hand a little smack, and she let him go.
The fact that people love being nice, doesn't mean they don't stop being nice once in a while. The more conscious people find themselves quickly and readjust with some remorse - like the Pope when he apologized for hitting the woman, and like the heart skips when fear grips us. It feels to me like the heart says a quick "sorry, my bad", and then keeps on beating.
People can also become assholes when this niceness is taken for granted. There's no switch-flipping as fast/hard as when people sense they're being exploited because of their niceness. And just like there are hearts that don't beat normally, there are people that are assholes because they choose to be.
Say a prayer for health officials and other essential workers that are working very hard to see that we survive this pandemic, and thank them for their bravery
Sometimes we don't feel at our best. We feel like we shouldn't be nice to the next person that makes the slightest move we don't approve of - like we need to explode. But we can intentionally show some niceness, past our regular threshold - just like we do breathing exercises and other kinds of workouts, forcing the heart to beat at different rates.
Workouts do not only help us tone our muscles, it also improves the ability of the heart to pump blood through the body by beating more efficiently throughout life. Just like workouts, when you push yourself to be nice, you improve your ability to be effortlessly nice to more people for longer periods.
If we can build more on being nice to people, we can quickly get through these hard times. Even if we don't, we die as nice people - and I don't see a better way to leave this world.
We have time now, and the perfect condition to practice being nice to people. We have the whole day to practice being nice. Be nice to yourself and your environment. Say and text more nice things to your family, friends, and followers online.
Say a prayer for health officials and other essential workers that are working very hard to see that we survive this pandemic, and thank them for their bravery. Let’s keep practicing being nice. It really helps us all.