By Ute Kelly
This to me feels like a surreal situation – a weird combination of normality and the suspension of so many things that we have learned to experience, expect and accept as normal. A suspension, too, of some things that I really value – face to face encounters, the healing potential of touch, the physical presence of bodies and voices in a shared space. And yet, the continuation of other things too – conversations and collaborations and mutual support across distances, even half-way across the world. A strange kind of disaster.
It feels extraordinary to me too that people all over the world, in so many different situations, are thinking and talking about the same thing, at the same time, sharing similar emotions, questions and concerns. That doesn’t happen very often. What are the opportunities in this? What is it drawing our attention to and what questions is it raising – about the ways in which we are connected, and also about the ways in which we are often disconnected? About the ways in which everyday crises, personal disasters and so many injustices are normalised, privatised and invisibilised? About how some of these boundaries and terms of engagement are shifting and in flux as we speak? About people’s fears and vulnerabilities? About resilience? How can we approach these questions in a spirit of curiosity, care and cure? What opportunities for creativity and the moral imagination can we see?
And at a more mundane, personal level: How to survive and thrive in these strange times? How will we cope, as a family, with all being at home much of the time? How, where, when can I work? What will good online teaching and learning look like? How do we stay connected with nature, with other people, with local and not-so-local communities? Can I really imagine ‘social distancing’ for weeks or months? Is this an opportunity to strengthen existing links and make new ones? To read and write? To learn new skills? To spend more time out walking?
In many ways, this is all still sinking in. For now, it’s ups and downs. Asking questions and trying to respond one step at a time. Seeing the hope and the humour alongside the worries. Appreciating the small things while keeping an eye on the bigger picture. Practicing patience with myself and others. Trying to stay curious.