There’s something euphoric about a rainy day. Something signifying that all can be washed away and a new beginning can be in your presence. A blank slate arises in the world if you may.

The world health organization has claimed we have a pandemic on our hands and can lead to a large outbreak if we don’t find ways to control the virus. It’s interesting in the world we live, where we have slowly started to take ourselves further and further away from our next store neighbor, that we have such an issue with social isolation.

Told at a young age, “don’t touch the stove, it will burn you” was a statement that left mystery and wonder to all of us. That was until we placed our hand on the stove and found the true meaning of the statement made by our mom. Yet, as we grow older we still have yet to find ourselves controlling these urges. What is the allure we have with doing something that is supposed to be off limits?

In the age we live, there is an unpronounced social anxiety amongst us all. The statement you hear “we are more connected now than ever, yet we are also more disconnected from each other than ever” is such a sad but true statement. The internet, FaceTime, phones, texting, etc. are used billions of times every day, yet there are millions that have challenges simply engaging in a face to face conversation with people around them. Your hands get sweaty, you start to perspire, heart rate fastens, pupils dilate, your mouth drys…what do I say? Will they think I’m awkward? This is a social anxiety that happened in the past, but has become so much more prevalent as of late. As job trends change and we become more and more digital, our social structure changes, our definition of health has been unhinged and our distance from each other is at an all time high.

So I ask again, why in this time of such large quantities of people who have such high a social anxiety, have we finally decided to come together and change pace? The allure is too great and to an extent, we might have chose the wrong time to bind together and urge for that social touch. As we move on and the rain decides to wipe away decisions that maybe we shouldn’t have made and we learn more as we continue our gallivant through this mysterious world, we need to learn something from this pandemic if nothing else. Take the time and learn what we are missing when there is no socialization, when we don’t have people to speak to, touch, listen, hold. It’s a social experiment that was never meant to happen. This time away will hopefully bring people closer together.

Society was meant to be close and have time together to learn from each other. That’s why we have separated ourselves from the other animals in the kingdom. We’ve learned to connect, adapt, read each other, build tools, form many ways to communicate and travel vast differences in mere hours. We have never had a stronger grasp on what is needed to prosper as human beings. Will we succeed?

As the water pours down and washes away another day, take it as time to reflect on what matters. Your family, your friends, the random stranger you share small talk with on the train. These instances should not be substituted for FaceTime calls or late night internet games. The pandemic will end as soon as it began, but be clear in your mind of the lecture it just gave us on our social structure within humankind.