ONE.

• Date: 01 January 2022
• Author: Silverglate, Spencer H.

We're one but we're not the same We get to carry each other, carry each other-One, U2 In her book, The Space Between Us, Sarah Bauer Anderson quotes a line from the Jewish Talmud: "If the house has fallen, woe to the windows." It's the idea that we're all in it together. That an outbreak of a virus in one corner of the world can impact health across the globe. That one country's actions have repercussions far beyond its borders. That injustice anywhere has implications everywhere.

COVID-19 reminds us of our interconnectivity and dependence on each other's wellbeing. Yet despite the pandemic, we seem as polarized as ever. Politics, religion, and social justice have long been flashpoints for disagreement. But today, everything from masks, testing, and vaccine protocols to business and school closings/openings have become divisive topics. Worse, pandemic-induced isolation and the echo chamber of mono-channel news and social media have crippled our ability to engage civilly. We've quarantined ourselves in sameness.

To be clear, this critique isn't limited to any one group; it applies to all our groups. As Anderson writes...