If you are feeling down, anxious, or isolated, join the club. We have been in lockdown since June 26th and there will be at least a few more weeks before we can come out of it. In the meantime, how do we keep calm and connected?
God created us to be social beings and we enjoy the companionship of our family, relatives, friends and colleagues. We are also a community of faith for mutual encouragement and edification. The lockdown has stripped us of opportunities for physical interaction and meaningful engagement. When we feel isolated from others, we may be less positive about life and even become critical of others’ intention.
Just because we are at home with our family or flatmates, it does not necessarily mean there is meaningful connection and communication. How about having a board game, watching the Olympics, listening to an online concert or doing the garden together? Maintaining face to face interaction with our family members or flatmates is crucial to our well-being.
For our spiritual family, how about ordering a take away for each other and having the meal over the phone, watching an online talk or having a walk separately while chatting over the phone? A study using augmented reality (AR) for communication showed a higher sense of social presence or what we call fellowship. Brothers and sisters are here for us and we for them.
The virus brings isolation into every facet of our life. We may underestimate its impact on our life and our spiritual life.
Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up.
Let’s find creative ways to connect with others in our home as well as others in our spiritual home during this time.
如果你現在情緒低落、感覺焦慮或孤立，其實有不少人都有同感。封城自6月26日開始至今，最少仍要持續多幾個星期。在這個時候，我們怎樣保持平靜和其他人有聯繫呢？
神造我們成為社交的群體。我們喜歡家人、親戚朋友及同工的陪伴。我們更是一個有同一信仰的羣體，以致互相勉勵、勸勉。封城卻剝奪了我們有實體來往及有意義交流的機會。當我們感覺到孤單時，可能會負面一些看人生，甚至質疑別人的意圖。
單是與家人或合租者住在一起未必一定會有意義的相交和溝通。可以嚐試一起玩一些桌上遊戲、同看奧運比賽節目、同聽網上的演奏或同做一些園藝？在家中，保持與家人或合租者面對面的互動對我們的心身靈是有有益的。
對我們的屬靈家庭來說，可以嚐試互相請大家吃外賣、並以手機連系一起進食；或一起觀看一些網上座談；又或者各自出外散步時用手機交談？有一研究表示採用”網絡信息疊加現實”的技術來互相溝通能提高使用者的社交現實感。那亦即是我們稱為弟兄姊妹中的相交。弟兄姊妹在這裡支持我們，我們也支持他們。
冠狀病毒將我們生活的每一部份都孤立了。我們或許低估了它對我們生活及屬靈生命的衝擊。
傳道書4章9-10節說：二人總比一人好、因為二人勞碌同得美好的果效；若是跌倒、這人可以扶起他的同伴、若是孤身跌倒、沒有別人扶起他來、這人就有禍了。
現在就讓我們去尋找一些新穎的方式、與我們家裡的及屬靈的家人連系吧。
