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With quarantine seeming to have no end in sight for some, a divide in the government on who to leave the decision-making up to,  nothing but time on their hands, many are asking what they should do?

You can look into the science of what social distancing does psychologically, and what negative effects are coming, not just from the virus itself, but from the lack of being human. What does it mean to be human? According to Humans and Nature, 10 things make us human: 

1. To have the ability to communicate systematically using words, symbols, body gestures/posture, and facial expressions.
2. To make our own decisions and bear the consequences of them.
3. To make and wear clothing, accessories, and other necessities for human life.
4. To become individuals in the process of making our own life in what each one of us want to be in the future.
5. To think about thinking, to ponder on the past, present, and  future.
6. To fit into different personality groups, but our experiences with the personality type is special and different within ourselves.
7. To fit in different racial, cultural, religious, and political groups.
8. To have a government.
9. To be unique as an individual in our choices of who we want to be as a person , in our clothing, preferences, talents/gifts, perspectives, likes/dislikes.
10. To live in an economy.

One website mused that the needs of a human are so simple, yet so complicated. A need is simplified as a required thing, because it is essential and/or very important.

Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is a motivational theory in psychology comprising a five-tier model of human needs. Needs lower down in the hierarchy must be satisfied before individuals can attend to needs higher up. From the bottom of the hierarchy upwards, the needs are: physiological, safety, love and belonging, esteem, and self-actualization.

Everyone knows what you need to survive. There are basic needs for survival. As a human you need: food, water, shelter, and air. But there is a much deeper meaning in the phrase “human need.” Yes, humans need the very basics to survive, just as all animals do. As a higher species, we don’t consider ourselves “animals”. We are so much more complex and advanced than any other known species, but with this complexity comes a price. If you look back at Human Natures what does it mean to be human?, you can see just how advanced we are. If you want to break it down psychologically or scientifically, look at Maslow’s hierarchy. This is a great transition, from simple needs to live as an animal to needs to live as a complex individual in an ever growing society. 

The website Psychology Today says, “Humans, because of necessity, evolved into social beings. Dependence on and cooperation with each other enhanced our ability to survive under harsh environmental circumstances. Although the survival threats of these circumstances have lessened in today’s world, people continue to have a need to affiliate with others. Indeed, the lack of such connections can lead to many problems, including loneliness.”

The evolution of  humans has brought with it a slew of psychological changes looking past the physical.  Scientists and psychologists can’t just say, “This is what you need to survive.” It isn’t that simple anymore. Health for years has been simply defined as a state of being free from illness or injury, and this is partially correct, but also vague. When they say illness, does this mean physical illness? Or does it also mean mental illness? Wikipedia defines health as a state of physical, mental and social well-being in which disease and infirmity are absent.

Simply put, we need each other.

Without each other, and interaction, it leads to a detrimental effect. According to psychology today, “Feeling lonely is normal; for some, it can be very frightening and destructive.  At minimum, it hurts. Loneliness also can become a pervasive and chronic condition with serious mental and physical conditions,” including:

• Social isolation
• Depression
• Substance abuse
• Poor sleep and appetite
• Suicidal thoughts and behavior
• Impaired immune and cardiovascular functioning

Psychology Today says, “In our advanced digital age, one of the prevalent concerns regarding the increasing emergence of loneliness is how we have become less caring of others. At one time, our very survival depended on trusting and supportive relationships. Fundamentally, it doesn’t matter how technologically sophisticated we become; emotional connectivity remains a core part of being human. We need each other—maybe not in the ways that characterized us evolutionarily, but for a need that remains essential for psychological survival.”

In this time, it is critical that we are there for each other. Not many understand the risk that is being played here because it is on the back burner, while COVID-19 is in the slow cooker. Understandably, as a human race, we have to do what is best for our survival, meaning quarantine and social distancing.

Be wary though. This social distancing and quarantine should really be kept to minimum social isolation. We already know the psychological effects that come from something like this. We know that it is explained in books, articles, news, and everything in between that we need social interaction to survive. At what point in this whole show do we start losing the values and the idealistic psychology of being human? 

As of April 2020 there are an estimated 7.8 billion human beings alive on planet Earth. That is 7.8 billion brains and bodies all seeking the same needs. If you took just one percent of the world’s population and said they developed psychological trauma or miques, that is 78 million human beings affected. The issue here is that the whole world is facing this. COVID-19 is labeled as a world-wide global pandemic, affecting everyone.

So, remember to be human. It just has to be said. It is so easy to lose yourself against this fight. You have to see that this affects everyone, and we are all in this together.

When the dust settles, no one cares what race you are, who you vote for politically, what your gender is, what your sexuality is. At the end of the day, we are all human. We are all on the same team against this thing. It’s us versus an invisible monster that prays on the weak and old, the very same people in society that we respect, love, support, and the ones we feel we should support against all odds. This virus, this monster, it doesn’t care, it goes after those who can’t fight back. There will be plenty of battles, and you can never win them all. There is only one way to win the war, and that is unity.

If we lose our fight to stick together, how can you expect to win against this? Everyone of us, all 7.8 billion of us, have our own battles to fight. You never have to fight your battles alone. As a species we have to be there, we have to lift the weak and wounded and carry them to the chopper. We have to be there for one another as people, as complex individuals. We should have an obligation to help those losing their own battles in order to win the war. Be there for each other, love each other, stick together, and we will beat this. 

A message to the world, stay human.