Quarantine and Loss of Community

Among the many losses we are experiencing during this time is that of community. What we would ordinarily find at work, school, the gym, religious establishments, and so many other collectives has been suspended from our day to day lives. The result is a loss of the fellowship and camaraderie that go with belonging to a group, a structure that while comprised of members does not depend on any one individual for its continued existence. Communities provide us with psychological homes. They are stable, consistent, reliable. They affirm our identities. They bring us together with others like us. We need only show up to be enveloped by the culture, norms, and support inherent to any given community. To be in community is to let go for a time the responsibility and weight of defining oneself. The community carries you instead.