I really, really, REALLY don’t want to bring it up, but…
Coronavirus. Covid-19. The big C. Aunty Rona.
There, now those names are out the way we don’t have to talk about them again. Let’s get on to more interesting things.
An acquaintance of mine posted a discussion in podcast format that he had with another person, in which he pointed out that during isolation, the majority of human beings have found a greater value in socialisation. It is as if in the absence of over-socialisation (things like spending all day at a work place with LOTS of people) people have been able to appreciate the things that truly matter.
I am an almost aggressively introverted person. This doesn’t mean I want to be alone 24/7, I just truly value time alone or with very little company and get very exhausted through social interaction.
It occurred to me recently that the way the world operates, the entire infrastructure (or at least majority) of modern society is designed for more social-oriented people. People who don’t get exhausted simply spending time with peers, who get their energy from highly social situations, and who thrive on human activity around them. Now that we’re in isolation, suddenly society is forced into a domain for introverts.
I don’t blame anyone for this – modern society’s infrastructure is incredible and the world is better for it – however I never realised just how exhausting it could be for me until I didn’t have to do it. At the worst of times, it can feel like a furious, never-ending rat-race which drains and drains the soul.
No doubt you have, or have friends who have, taken to social media or your friends/loved ones in person to state how tired you are of being isolated and how much you ‘just wanna go to the beach with my friends’. Can I make a confession?
I don’t want isolation to end.
Don’t get me wrong, I obviously don’t enjoy a deadly pandemic which has vastly reduced happiness in the world and has directly affected many people’s lives, joy and even security.
I simply mean that Ipersonally as an individual finally feel like I can thrive. Gone are the days where I have to prepare myself for long social interactions and trivial gatherings and outings, now are the days where I can work to improve myself and the lives of those around me.
A small example: flossing (not the dance). Since I was a child and until very recently (I am in my twenties) I have never known how to floss my teeth. Oh, I’ve tried here and there, but whenever I did I never understood quite how, would cut my gums a lot, then never try again. It never became a high enough priority for me to learn, so I never did.
Suddenly, I’m forced to spend ninety percent of my time at home and I have nothing but time and ideas. I ask myself “what can I do to make myself a more well-rounded person?” Suddenly there has been a steady increase in capability in my life as I learn more and more, practice things more and more, and develop new skills like flossing my teeth. When isolation is over, I will be a better person for it, which will, in turn, influence society more positively.
Obviously flossing my teeth is an example, but you get what I’m suggesting. Perhaps this article is more geared towards introverted minds, but why don’t we do our best to see this isolation period not as a shame, but as an opportunity to transform potential into positivity?Start asking ourselves the right questions about our lives, our beliefs, our practices, our relationships, and aim ourselves towards making the world around us better.
Look, I understand if you got to the part where I admitted I had barely flossed my teeth for twenty years and went “ew” and skipped ahead. That’s all good. Just walk away with this one idea (which I regularly bring up): Make society better.
If you improve yourself, it will have a ripple effect: the people around you will be influenced, the people around them, etc. You don’t need to aim to change/save the world, simply trust God and try to more fully reflect who He created you to be.
I titled this ‘A Time for Revival’ not to reflect the old-school Pentecostal roots within me, but to remind us all that God has created a being within us, and it’s time for us to call said being back out.
Josiah Gray lives in Logan City, Australia. He is currently studying teaching at Christian Heritage College and is committed to telling the story of Jesus to the next generation. Josiah’s previous articles may be viewed at: https://www.pressserviceinternational.org/josiah-gray.html