What Are We Without Community?
A few years ago, I was moved to tears as I sang “Let It Be” along with 22,000 people at a Paul McCartney concert. We—a community of perfect strangers—wrapped our arms around one another as we swayed back and forth. I felt similarly when I saw Cicely Tyson star in The Trip to Bountiful on Broadway. She was 89 at the time, and her performance was a glory to behold. As soon as the play ended, the entire audience—crammed together, shoulder to shoulder—burst to its feet in rapturous applause.
That feeling of community has bloomed up so many times for me: proudly walking with thousands at the Women’s March; when a player on my high-school basketball team made, the last time I went to the movies. Those experiences seem like they’re from another life now, and we’re only a few weeks into this pandemic. In my state, Kentucky, most businesses have closed, just as they have across the country. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recommended that we not gather in groups of 10 or more. We’ve now reached a point where we must fear one another to protect everyone.
