Is isolation the new normal? | Opinion

As we embrace this new normal, we often forget that there are large swathes of society who cannot disengage from the rest of us.

Solitary isolation or confinement used to be a punishment given to prisoners. But now it has become something that we accept as part of our daily lives, thanks to the lockdown.

These are conditions we are imposing on ourselves to survive an enemy that we cannot see, but which can attack us if anyone from the larger social group has been infected and gets close to us. We have to assume everyone is a possible host to the virus (ANI)

These are conditions we are imposing on ourselves to survive an enemy that we cannot see, but which can attack us if anyone from the larger social group has been infected and gets close to us. We have to assume everyone is a possible host to the virus. And then we have to arm ourselves with masks and gloves — and if possible keep others at a distance of at least six feet. This further reinforces the hostility that urban dwellers already feel as their familiar world of close proximity and interactive behaviour comes crashing down. The individual no longer works with a group for social good, and sees himself or herself, alone, at war with the world.

As supply chains are broken, as the world face a shortage of medicines, hospital beds, food, jobs — we are back to the survival of the fittest, foregoing the niceties of civilised behaviour. We have now come to stage three of the psychological impact of the lockdown — from shock, to acceptance, to mistrust. And there will be a need to convince some people once again that the government will take care of their concerns.

We have already seen some of this aggression break out as individuals feel that they have to hit out at authority to survive. People are attacking doctors, beating up police officers — turning on anyone who they think might destroy their already shrinking universe. They are not “idiots” as some TV channels call them, but genuinely disturbed and increasingly insecure.

There are also other issues of social isolation that governments will have to sort out. While many of us are fortunate enough to be able to lock ourselves in our homes and get by, there are many who are unable to do so — so one has to think carefully what social isolation means to them. For instance, the elderly, the children, the physically and mentally-ill, the disabled, the poor, the street dwellers, the rural economy, the daily-wagers.

As we embrace this new normal, we often forget that there are large swathes of society who cannot disengage from the rest of us. This is a social order that was built on social dependency, not on the premise that all men and women are equal islands. What, in these circumstances, happens to the poorest of the poor — to paraphrase Mahatma Gandhi.

However, another serious impact of the lockdown is how important Twitter, Facebook, Google, WhatsApp are becoming. We would be completely isolated if it were not for this virtual world. The danger is that (as we saw during the riots in Delhi) hysteria can be whipped up through images, and a constant barrage of information which comes through unfiltered.

The virtual world is turning us into lonely machines reaching out into the unknown, without the comfort of a loving touch, or gentle words whispered into our ears, even when we are sick or dying. That is the extreme wound that Covid-19 has inflicted: The sorrow of dying alone without anyone by your side.

But even those of us who will (hopefully) live on to see the end of the virus or at least its decline, will have changed forever, with the six feet of social distancing creating uncivil cracks in our behaviour and leaving gaps where there were families and homes. Large get-togethers may also be a thing of the past as we look at everything through the prism of safety and security. Keeping it digital may be a format we have to follow for a while.

As families, we are together in our homes, finding bonds and joy with each other. I am spending more time with my parents, talking more to my children and husband, writing more and exploring my inner world much, much more, as the exterior world is reduced to heartbreaking images on my phone or iPad or TV screen.

Our interiority might make us better people as we understand and appreciate those close to us. But what does it do to those who rely on physical connectivity for survival? There is more social disruption on the horizon as Covid-19 makes the difference clear between those who can live secure in their ivory towers and those who cannot.

Kishwar Desai is chair, The Arts And Cultural Heritage Trust

The views expressed are personal