After I posted my blog yesterday about the “coronawave”, I got an email from my cousin Ben, the coiner of the term. He had some very interesting insights on the subject.
He pointed out that the coronawave is not just a gesture of friendship. It is also a gesture of solidarity.
It is something that people are doing as a gesture of solidarity. Essentially, it is a way to say that “yes, we too are on mission.”
This sense that there is some extraordinary mission, and that we are all aligned with it, is generally found in times like these. We had it in NYC back in 2001, in the aftermath of the attack on the World Trade Center.
People in New York City were kind to each other in the months that followed that terrible tragedy, and would acknowledge one another on the street. There was a general sense of being in this together, and of the need to look out for one another.
Alas, if that is true, then this friendly smile and wave between strangers is a behavior destined to die away. After things return to normal, people will no longer feel the requisite sense of shared mission.
I for one am going to miss the coronawave.