Community and belonging are so important. They are essential to our physical and emotional health and also to our ability to perform at our best. For now, we need to use digital tools to stay connected the best we can. After COVID, we need to get back to in-person connection.
I’m increasingly concerned that already existing trends away from in-person connection are being further entrenched. I fear the worst possible outcome is a halfway approach to both the virus and community: not fully fighting the virus and not fully connecting either. Instead, I think it’s wise we do everything we can to fight the virus hard and eliminate it. And then reconnect (in-person) with the same intensity.
I could see this going both ways: digital and drones for everything. Or, the re-emergence of tightly-knit communities with lots of small, local businesses where people know each other, give each other the benefit of the doubt, and help each other out. Like most complex things, I have no idea which way the chips will fall, and it will probably be somewhere in the middle. But I’m already thinking about what I can do to fight for the latter.
— Brad
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