“I’m sorry we couldn’t be there for you. When all these will end, I want to be there to listen to everything you couldn’t say.”
Recently I often saw people posting about their struggles, pain, and deepest hopes. Honestly, everyone is struggling with something amid the pandemic. Everyone is affected by one problem or another. Someone has a relative or family member suffering while someone else is suffering on their own. With the lockdown and social distancing rules, we all got to agree on one thing: our loneliness rose higher. I still remember the times when I could just make a sudden plan and meet my friends. A hangout to share the darkest thoughts to feel better in the tough world. Now, it has been months since I had met all of them at once.
From the onset of the lockdown, everyone has completely shifted their lives to digital means. Everything is now online. Those classes that can’t be missed to those jobs that must be completed to the seminars that are now termed as webinars. Even friendships are now completely digital. With the added pressure from everyday work to the lack of a proper routine that has been introduced by these lockdowns, it is not easy. We all have been struggling in one way or another; one thing is obvious we often do lose connections.
I’m sure we all have heard, “A friend in need is a friend indeed”. It’s true that we all had to face a lot of troubles, but does this proverb still hold?
Especially when everyone is in different parts of the world or stuck in their homes. Technically, the world has to function on its own these days. Every mental pressure is very much the person’s problem. Sometimes a call or even a video call is all we get from a friend.
One thing that quarantine did change- the connection with toxic friends. However, this might have been replaced by the toxic environment that is created by the emotional, mental, and physical pressure. At the start, calling a friend to vent everything might seem like a great idea. The conversation can go on for a long first, soon, the time lessens. The workload, of course, doesn’t reduce so the time has to be compensated.
In this digital era, sometimes watching a movie or series together is a great way to maintain a connection. Usually, this wouldn’t work unless both have a similar interest. When two or more individuals find a similar interest, it is easy to find what to watch. The same show, the discussion about the storyline, the actors, the scenes, and whatnot. This could be a way to stay connected. The discussions might continue for some time, keeping up the communication. Like every other thing, this could also be shadowed by the pressure of work and studies. But the delight from the connection raises the mood for a while.
In most ways, the strings of communication are bound to break at times. I think one that particularly sticks are the ones with similar interests. It could be studies, work, media, and anything else. the topic of interest can be enough to keep the strings intact for a certain point of time. Sometimes the strings do break. Luckily, the connection remains intact at times, even after days.
Certainly, these situations depend on the person’s condition. Friendships like every other relationship need the efforts of both the individuals for proper maintenance. With everyday tasks and works the gap could increase at any point in time. Quarantine just added another excuse to let the gap widen. There are people right now in all parts of the world, who are suffering from one thing or the other. The sickness of family, relatives, friends, or self, everyone is dealing with something. When one is suffering in one part of the world, the distance acts as a barrier to connections. Digital communication can’t always be held up. within a fraction of time, something huge could happen and change everything. In the end the guilt of not being there with the friend is what remains.
As I read those statuses on Facebook, I think of the times I spent listening to my friends complaining about things while I was dealing with my problems. I could tell I was not the only one. To maintain friendships, everyone has to put on a special effort. Some might lose a friend, while others are thankful for their good health. This is a time of crisis. Anxiety might start to take over but one thing is true, true friends do stick. In the meantime this could be entirely virtual. But with our friends, even after long, we still can sit down and share everything away. We all hope and pray to see that soon.