Have we forgotten how to be decent human beings?
As the pandemic and lockdown drag on, it seems that our people skills, just like common sense, are declining.
I am not sure if I am getting old or if I am just being overly sensitive, but it feels to me that everywhere I look these days, I am confronted by anger, impatience and rudeness.
Whether you are on the road, in the supermarket or scrolling through social media, it is evident that somewhere, somehow, we have lost our ability to be human, and have lost touch with the reality that all actions have consequences and that people have feelings that can be hurt. People are complaining about everything, and are so quick to run to social media to make someone look bad, or ‘report’ a company for breaking some or other ‘Covid rule’. It also seems that nobody is entitled to an opinion anymore, because you will be roasted if your opinion dares to be different from someone else’s.
It seems that, like common sense, our people skills are also on the decline and, in my honest opinion, I believe it is a direct result of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdown regulations.
We have been deprived of decent human contact for so long, paired with us having to stay at home for the majority of the time (many of us only go out either to buy essentials or go to work), we have forgotten how to be decent human beings. An added aggravation, is the fact that we have to wear a mask most of the time, something I believe has also turned us into grumpy people, as we no longer see anyone smiling when passing by. All you notice are tired eyes filled with fear (a little bit like a deer caught in the headlights).
I cannot imagine living in a world where there is no humanity; a world where nobody cares about anybody, and sympathy and compassion do not exist. That is why I try my very best to put myself in someone else’s shoes, to try and understand where they come from and to always (where possible) take their feelings into account. Compassion, sympathy, empathy and friendliness are, after all, what make us human.
Let us not allow this pandemic, that has already robbed us of so many things, to also rob us of the things that make us human. Let’s try to be more considerate, more compassionate, more understanding, friendlier and most importantly, more patient.
Until next week, stay safe look out for each other …
