Each week on a Thursday, millions of people are stepping out of their front doors and clapping.
It’s a gesture to celebrate the tireless work of NHS workers who are risking their lives to treat those affected by Covid-19.
Coordinated through social media, the first national ‘Clap for our Carers’ was a moment that brought people together, as far as social distancing permits, to share an experience.
It is telling that this gesture feels so powerful. Yes, social media can keep us connected and in touch. But physically sharing the same experience at the same moment in time, still moves us in a way that has no real substitute in the virtual world.
Over hundreds of thousands of years, we have evolved as highly social beings. We are hard wired to need to connect with one another in space and real time.
Now that these shared moments are scarce, they are all the more important. They make us feel what it is to live in society. Social media and virtual connecting can only replicate this, they cannot replace it.
So if you’re missing events, going down the pub or a social jog with friends - that’s to be expected.
You’re only human after all!
