“ I’m not old, But I been around a long time.” — Delbert McClinton
I got a call from Arizona a couple of nights ago, from an old friend. He worked in Michigan before retiring. We chatted for a while, including gubernatorial responses to COVID-19 mitigation.Mrs. B and I are practicing social distancing. We’re serious about it. At the end of our conversation, my friend mentioned that he and his wife might be coming to Michigan this summer, and they’d call, maybe we could get together. It took me by surprise. I don’t expect to be socializing that soon. Testing is not in place. Treatment is not in place. Vaccination is not in place. I muttered something vague.
Had I been more forthright I might have said, “That’d be great – if testing/vaccines/therapeutics are all up to speed. If not, then we’ll take a pass until another time.”
I expect that would have elicited a chilly response. Yet, I think that is what I would do, and what I should do. Would that harm the relationship? It shouldn’t. But would it? I hope not. Although that wouldn’t alter my thinking on the matter.
I’m over 65, as is he. There may be underlying conditions present for them as well as for us.
I know that to die is as natural as to live. I know I’m too old to die young. I’m not especially worried about it. Yet I don’t plan to risk it to break social distancing to socialize.
We have restrictions now, but they will likely be lifted in time. The lifting of restrictions does not mean I’m going to unnecessarily risk my health or safety. The potential cost will be weighed against the potential benefit.
We will all find our way through this. Differences will emerge. There may be peer pressure. I’m doing OK at reading and watching TV. I’ve been intubated and ventilated before (1967), and I’m glad that it was available, but I’d rather not have another go at it.
I’d like to shake your hands, or give you a hug, gentle readers, but let me just press my (gloved) palms together, fingertips up, head slightly inclined, and say, through my mask, “Namaste.”
Mr. Basura,
Sir,
Quite frankly I can’t figure why folks do not want to mask up and use gloves? No harm in it and it may save a life or two? Even if the government doesn’t require us to use masks or gloves we still can protect ourselves and others, as stated before no harm in it. We just do not know the long term effects of the virus.
If you choose to practice “distancing with social interaction” the new politically correct approved term for social distancing why not? No harm no foul.
Masking and gloves seems to me to have very little cost, and potentially great benefit. Thanks for the comment.
Basura,
Before my library declared that we volunteers were respectfully banished, I spoke with two of my friends who work there about doing just what you suggest in your last paragraph. They are Hindu and Jain, and to press their palms together and bow slightly is a gesture of great respect in their homelands. I don’t know if something like this might catch on after all this is over, but it feels to me that such a greeting might be the reasonable change for the new normal.
Lynn, you are worthy of my respect.
A couple of weeks ago, I saw my doc. I greeted him in that fashion, and he got so excited; he said he’d been trying to figure out how to greet patients without going into a long winded apology for not shaking hands, as had been his custom. Thanks for the comment.
A problem is that the handshake replaced the bow during the Reformation, before the handshake the social inferior would bow to the superior, the hand shake meant all are equal. The bow is wrapped in social injustice, the handshake social equality. The politically correct folks will go ballistic over the bow. Fist bumps may work, bowing is not going to pass the left wing test.
We had a war over bowing to kings, good luck bringing it back.
AB, I understand that particular history of the bow and the handshake, but as we have become more ethnically diverse, cannot the bow take on the Asian connotation of mutual respect, thus acceptable to a greater number of people? I don’t mean this to be argumentative, merely conversational. In addition, why would liberals be reticent to adopt the bow? I, as a liberal, am quite open to adopting a foreign custom that confers respect as well as serves to aid our health. And as a side note, you as a conservative are not the only person averse to the political correctness of the newer expressions of social distancing. I’ve also heard “physical distancing” as a preferred term. To me it’s unnecessary semantics. Whatever conveys distancing is fine by me.
I hope you’re doing well. Keep being the voice of reason where it comes to COVID-19 preparedness and caution.
Peace and health.
My understanding of the greeting, possibly from the Tibetan tradition, is that it means “you are worthy of my respect”. I suspect suggesting mutual respect more often rather than less often is all to the good. I think of the associated “bow” as more akin to a nod. And it does not require skin to skin contact, which, in these times, is to the good.
Ms. Mandaville,
We are all doing fine during the “Great Pandemic of 2020” thank you.
The bow in Asia is set up so the social inferior bows first and deeper to the social superior, at least it was during my three years in Asia. We also bowed to Kings and Princes to show fealty before the Revolutionary War. In my opinion most Americans will not like to have the open display of royal superiority that we find in nations with a history of Lords and Ladies.
I think the liberal’s will object to a society with classes of people, the left wants strict equality but wants bowing down to a social superior? I will wager not.
During the Bataan Death March American soldiers refused to bow to Japaneses officers and Non-Commissioned Officers and were beheaded, dozens of them, lot’s of examples of Americans not bowing down in our history.
I have nothing against bowing but please beware of what you are asking for social division, on a national scale. The handshake was adopted to express equality of all. Replace it but not with the bow so hated in our history.
Stay safe, peace through strength.