Time to come together

We are living in dark, uncertain times – the kind that many of those under a certain age have never experienced, let alone are emotionally equipped for.

We are also living in an age where technology has taken us away from our communities in unprecedented ways. Gone are the days when people would rush to answer a knocking door, teapot and plate of biscuits in hand, when they would bond in each other’s kitchens over recipes cut out of magazines and their children’s latest exploits.

And yet, ironically, social media has been such a roaring success simply because, when it boils down to it, we truly are interested in what our neighbours are up to.

It would be all too easy to speak about how negative rumours and fake news have eaten up our online column inches and how people allow themselves to fall into the ditch of misinformation, hatred and hysteria. Yet, through this opaque fog there are moments of light.

It is true that nothing could have prepared us for this moment. It is also true that many of us are still stumbling around dazed and confused, muddling from one thing to the next in an almost drunklike stupor. But what is important for us to remember is that it is not what happens to you that makes you who you are, but how you choose to deal with it and how it affects your relationship with others as a result.

Now, more than ever, we need to come together in ways which were so natural to our forefathers and face things as a community instead of as individuals. At a time when we are told to avoid hugging each other or speak face to face like we have done so many times in the past, we need to make an extra effort to show each other that no one needs to face anything alone.

Most importantly, it is a time for responsibility and respect, a time when the able-bodied should and must take into account the needs and weaknesses of those who are more fragile, physically and emotionally.

They say that charity begins at home, but this is not about being charitable: this is about putting together initiatives that everyone can be a part of whatever their age or means.

Stories of solidarity and selfless service in response to individual hardship are beginning to emerge. The hope is that they will become commonplace over the next few weeks. If you know of people who are unable to go to the shops themselves, come together with others and form a rota to make sure that the most vulnerable are not left without.

If you know of activities with which to keep children busy indoors, share them with others.

If you’re able to offer psychological assistance to people in need online, offer some of your time.

There’s not much that we can physically do in groups at the moment, but that doesn’t mean we are unable to be of service to each other.

Let us take this opportunity to grow and to not underestimate what we are able to give back to our communities.

In the same way that it takes just one person to sow despair, let us come together to bring hope.