Social Distance

Of all the reactions I have seen to the threat of Covid-19 and the social distancing now expected of all of us, two stand out to me.  The first is the fearfulness I have seen on the faces of others. Walk down any aisle in a grocery store and turn a corner and watch the expression on the face of the person you pass by.  While it is sometimes difficult to see the expression, there may be gestures or muttered words which make their feelings clear. Your bodily presence is too close.  As I walk outdoors and come near a person walking toward me, I have noticed that many walk way around me, avoiding even eye contact. It seems that each of us is seen as a potential carrier of death; and therefore malicious and to be avoided at all costs.   This reaction saddens me greatly, because we are seeing each other as the enemy.  We are assuming the worst of each other, no longer acting out of grace, just fear. 

The second reaction I have noticed is the longing for connection with others.  This action is nearly opposite the fear based behavior, but I believe they can exist together.  We desire the company of others precisely because we were made to live in community.  For even God, our creator, the One whom we reflect, lives in community as the Triune God.  Love and community exist in the Trinity, there is relationship there, and as image bearers of God, we need those things too.   Recall that when God created Adam and brought him all the animals to name it was not enough. God declared that it was not good for man to be alone; man needed someone suitable to him.  Not an animal or a fish, not even God, but another human.  So we also need one another.  We need the companionship of fellow human beings.  We do so much for one another by our presence, and when we cannot be together, we realize all we have taken for granted.  To sit and talk with another, hash out ideas and thoughts is much better face to face than via a video chat.  To be able to reach out and touch another, give a hug or hold a hand has meaning beyond mere words.  To cry on the shoulder of another, or kiss a child conveys emotions that words cannot carry.  These all have been hindered by the requirements of social distancing.  We are told to keep physically apart, but our hearts are also being distanced.  
How do we proceed in both the fear and the lack of connection?   I am not certain, but I do know that we are better off to not let fear drive our actions. Fear leads only to suspicion, worry and meanness. Instead we must be lead by God through His word.  We can lead lives of caution without the fear controlling us. And we can remember the example of Jesus who when confronted by the unclean leper, reached out and touched him.