THE GOLDEN RULES OF ISOLATION
Up until recently, I’ve been doing pretty well. I think it is because, as an Anthropologist, my job requires me to spend time with different people, living with them in their communities and learning about how they make sense of life, how they adapt to change, how they remain resilient and survive in the most challenging of circumstances.
So, for the most part, I have been watching this hot mess unfold with the eyes of an ethnographer. To quote Horace Miner, anthropology is about making “the strange familiar and the familiar strange”. It is by looking at the things we take for granted with the eyes of someone completely different that we can make sense of the mundane everyday stuff of life.
Whether I’m moving through the beautifully organised flows of traffic at the local farmer's markets or standing in line in my designated space at grocery store, I can’t help catching myself as I lift my head out of the cloud of the new freaking normal. And with a furrowed brow and one eyebrow raised, I hear my inside voice stopping me in my tracks with a metaphorical “What you talkin' about Willis?”
It is amazing how strange this all is. What is even more amazing is how quickly the strange became so familiar without us even really noticing. And I think that is what makes it all so surreal. I live in Kiama, on the South Coast of New South Wales, It is one of those idyllic seaside towns, and when I look around my little community, I am inspired by how well we have adapted. And before you say anything, I know how privileged we are to live in this beautiful location, surrounded by a physically distant yet socially connected community. But even in spite of that, I am getting some wicked cabin fever! I mean, seriously...when are we gonna bloody get there Dad!
Happy hour seems to be starting earlier every day (yes that’s right… I said every day…what are you going to do about it?). I resent my wife for going to work (who, by the way is a nurse, so she’s like a total hero!). And even though my kids are just awesome, the sound of their voice makes my blood curdle (OK, so that one has been happening for a while!?).
And I’m telling you this because I want you to see me not as an expert, but as a human being, because it is our humanity that is going to get us through all of this.
So, as a fellow human, muddling through this shit show like the everybody else, I want to share with you the golden rules of ISO. Although I’ll let you in on a little secret, they’re actually the golden rules of everything…parenting, teaching, adulting, being human…take your pick!
1.The first rule of ISO is DON’T PANIC!
2.The Second rule of ISO is DON’T TAKE IT PERSONALLY!
3.The Third rule of ISO is GO EASY ON YOURSELF!...nobody is perfect…everybody stuffs up…we’re all just faking it til we make it!
And I’m going to invite you to gaze at this moment of history through the eyes of an anthropologist, accepting difference and embracing imperfection. You see, the fact that we are imperfect doesn’t make us failures, it makes us human. The fact that we are human is why we need each other. The fact that we need each other is why we come together to form communities and cultures. The fact that we have cultures and communities is precisely why our species is able to survive.