We need each other

BY TARA MYSHRALL

“Human beings are not meant to live alone. There is a fundamental biological imperative that propels you and every organism on this planet to be in a community, to be in relationship with other organisms.” Bruce H. Lipton

I sit in my basement yet another day working away at this keyboard trying to make sense of the world outside my door. I intentionally do not listen to the news anymore as my soul can’t take all the negativity that is constantly being thrown at us and I am compelled to change this fear-based thinking one way or another.

I thought a year ago that this pandemic would be far behind us, but I know now that it was an ignorant thought. We are approaching our current (I have lost count!) lockdown. Over this time, in social isolation, I have been diligent with my mindset. I do the work to keep myself moving forward in a society that feels determined to shut us down. I want our people to be safe from this virus but at what cost?

Are we potentially making ourselves worse off by all these on-again off-again measures? The numbers keep rising and the response is to shut us down and lock us in our homes. This is resulting in more and more lost businesses, worsened mental health, a sense of disconnection from our community and a lack of trust for our government.

What will the consequence be when we invade privacy, encourage neighbors to breach trust and shut down playgrounds for our children?

Our neighbors are being encouraged to call authorities if there are more than two people connecting outside or if someone has a guest in their home. Our home is supposed to be a safe haven. Our neighbors are supposed to look out for us and we can do the same in return.

We are on dangerous grounds when we look to lock people in their homes for over a year, take officers from fighting crime to illegal people monitoring and keep our citizens and children locked in isolation. It has far too many connections to unspeakable horrors of the past and many of us will not stand for it.

Building a sense of community is so important for a sense of belonging, pride and connection. We are not meant to be isolated, we need each other. Our community includes those who are in our neighborhood, our friends and colleagues that we have connected with, those who share common values. We meet with these people and share ideas, love and energy. Many of us thrive when we connect with people, whether it be over a drink on a patio, sharing a story around a fire, or discussing grand visions of how we will change the world.

The latest mandates from the Ontario government are shaming tactics that are outrageous and detrimental to not only our mental health but our children’s. Our children need to run outside, get dirty and play with their friends in some capacity. And so do adults, because we are simply big kids. Even my dog gets depressed if she doesn’t get her walk in to meet nearby dogs.

So, what’s the answer? I am not saying run freely in the streets and continue to spread COVID virus, what I am saying is we need to use discretion.  But we need to ensure that on the other end of COVID we are not creating a world that is filled with grayness and mistrust.

We need the richness of life to shine its light through. We need tactics for mental health and we need to get out and connect with our community in a safe way. I ask you to challenge your thinking to look at possibilities and share these with your government. If we want new outcomes, we have to try new tactics.