COVID-19: Physically Distance, Socially Integrate and Connect

Dear friends and family,

This has been a challenging time for all of us, both individually and as a community. This past weekend marked the Persian New Year, which in Farsi is called Nowruz, and was one of the firsts where my family and friends celebrated at a distance. Nowruz is celebrated at the start of Spring, and is a day we look back at the successes and challenges of the previous year as we blossom into the next. It is a time to celebrate those we cherish and pray for happiness and peace in whatever is to come our way. 

Throughout this challenging time, we as a community have realized how important physical closeness is to our wellbeing. By physically distancing, many, many people run the risk of social disengagement and isolation. However, physical distancing does not mean social distancing. Innately, we are social beings, and fortunately we can use technology as a means to bring us together like never before. 

Using audio and video streaming and conferencing, individuals are able to connect with family and friends. Groups are able to meet and problem solve together. Businesses are able to creatively provide services to clients. As a community we can use these tools to unleash our creative problem solving potential and ensure the society’s overall wellbeing and engagement. 

There are people in our communities that run the highest risk of social distancing, particularly those that are hurting from economic hardships during this trying time, and the elderly. My husband is a geriatrician, and has told me numerous stories of his elderly patients who feel isolated, depressed and hopeless during the quarantines because of the lack of physical contact and community, as well as financial vulnerability. Let’s not forget to be there for these groups of people. Call your parents, grandparents, seniors in your communities. Donate funds to your local food and shelter programs in your town. Use your businesses and social networks to find creative ways of distributing resources and communicating with these groups of people, and inspiring others to do the same.

This is a time where we can all lead by example, tapping into our knowledge and using technology to re-engage society and fill gaps in what our society needs most during this time. That is, hope, compassion, and each other.