“302”

  Dr. Vivek H. Murthy is the co-chair of President-elect Biden’s Coronavirus task force. In his book, Together: The Healing Power of Human Connection in a Sometimes Lonely World, he mentions how loneliness sometimes leads us to do the exact opposite of what one would expect: “Fleeing into self-preservation mode, we’ll avoid people and distrust even those who reach out to help us. With prolonged loneliness we’ll decline invitations and stop answering the phone.” 

  Now “invitations” might be offered but in these days of pandemic our caution might prevent us from accepting them anyway. Nevertheless, we have to be just as cautious to help ourselves in whatever way we can just as we are cautious to avoid getting ill. Dr. Murthy writes, “Those who’d like to help start turning away, leaving us feel more alone…Loneliness thus fuels more loneliness until the fracture leads to severe alienation.” 

   I’ve spoken about the educational and social impact on our children, but we’re into the second wave (or a continuation of the first wave) and the serious consequences will intensify for adults as well.

   Not certain exactly when, but I’ll soon begin another round of phone calls to you, our congregants. In my last two cycles I left more voice messages than I had live conversations. Perhaps you don’t recognize my area code. Please note my area code is 302, so if you see 302 don’t assume it’s a robocall, a scam or a schnorrer (beggar) and not answer. Chances are you don’t/won’t get many of those phony calls from anyone in the small State of Delaware (Joe Biden notwithstanding), just a legitimate one from me, so kindly pick up your phone. I look forward to speaking with you