We, the human race, do not and cannot exist as isolated, atomized individuals. We need each other, man and woman, old and young. We exist as a collective whole and can hardly exist as anything but. But the lockdown orders of 2020 struck at the root of this togetherness in such a way that has never before been attempted. It struck at the root of what it means to be human, and so we withered as individuals because we were isolated and made to feel shame for yearning for the togetherness that our spirit commands us to pursue. Not just economic activity, but all interpersonal activity was in the crosshairs, and we suffered like we’ve never suffered before. The collective organism that we call humanity was maimed. As I return to all the news clippings of police raids on churches, brawls and murders over a piece of face cloth, screaming matches amid aisles lined with Chinese-made garbage, I see the evidence of a mortally wounded collective spirit. With the lockdown orders and taboos against congregation in the rear view mirror, can we as a species rebuild and revive this collective spirit, or is it too late?
