The Most Impactful Pandemic of our Time Isn’t COVID-19

This article is not about COVID-19. It’s about an illness that has impacted our culture in ways that have severely altered how we live, think, and engage.

Technology has added tremendous convenience to our lives over the past decade, and has helped us scale efforts that would’ve taken the Mayans centuries to accomplish. But with this added capability, comes increased dependence, and a shift in the way we communicate with one another. Connecting with someone virtually generally leaves reading body language and emotional cues out of question, which has resulted in a community that lacks the emotional acuity to socialize. A lack of ability to socialize has left our society craving the human connection that we lack. It has also created an environment in which the ability and desire to understand one another, listen, and communicate effectively has declined.

With many feeling isolated, the desire to “feel” has catalyzed the public to react emotionally to anything that they feel they can relate to. Today’s culture places emphasis on being sensitive and open-minded. Yet, those qualities have been pushed into hyperdrive, resulting in an overly sensitized victim culture. This culture condemns anyone who doesn’t actively participate in dialogues that are often nuanced, but treated as black and white issues. Media has used this shift to their advantage, pushing narratives onto the public in ways that catalyze mob mentalities, and sell stories. Being able to think, and being able to feel, have been painted as mutually exclusive; creating a greater divide in an already segregated community. The irony is that we are left with a self righteous community that claims to be open minded and sensitive, but only when their values align.

“Celebrating” differences under the umbrella of diversity has clearly never brought people together- So why not opt for unity and a celebration of our similarities instead?

The most impactful pandemic of our time is our declining ability and desire to connect with one another candidly. Honest conversation only happens when people want to listen, whether they like what’s being said or not. It cannot occur in one-way conversations, or when parties are interested in pushing their agendas without a desire to listen to opposing arguments.

There is a difference between being open minded, and only being open to hearing the opinions that align with yours. There is a difference between listening, and in lacking the ability to think for oneself. There is a difference between being empathetic, and having blind sympathy. There is a difference between speaking up for yourself, and in playing the victim. There is a difference between lobbying for a cause you understand and believe in, and in jumping on the bandwagon because you’re looking for an emotional outlet. Until we learn to differentiate between these lenses, the go-getting American drive that our country was built on will continue to decline into subpar nothingness.