I dwell in possibility
—Emily Dickinson
The COVID-19 pandemic has greatly disrupted everyone’s lives. Clearly, its effects varied considerably for people of different races, ethnicities, and income levels. The harm is ongoing as disruptions in education, employment, health care, and social services have been amplified. Many people have difficulty using technology, or learning and working in a virtual world. For many, their social life is solely through schools, employment, or community programming. So, the effect of limited social networks during the pandemic and extreme isolation is especially difficult.
All of us can make a positive difference in the lives of others. There are many ways to support friends, family, and neighbors to deal with the pandemic and its aftermath. For example, you can check in regularly to assess needs, and offer emotional support and safe opportunities for social interaction. You can share public health information in simple ways, help with food shopping and delivery of essential items. Additionally, you can
support your local mutual aid network
donate blood
organize a food drive
organize a clothing drive
be an advocate for vulnerable communities
provide translation services
tutor and mentor youth
vote and help others register
keep in touch with seniors
support a digital Earth Day activity
help small claims legal services
provide technical support
support a crisis text line
share facts about physical distancing
support small businesses.
The pandemic is playing out against a backdrop of extreme economic, political, social, and meteorological instability. No one knows the end of this story. “What, then, is to be done?” asks Epictetus, the Greek Stoic philosopher. Well, luckily, he swiftly follows “…make the best of what is in our power, and take the rest as it naturally happens.” In other words, we should concern ourselves with understanding reality correctly and shaping one’s response to it optimally. Why? Because the brutal fact is that it will be years before it will be safe to breathe in each other’s faces again.
The Wall of Kindness
The phenomenological charity project called “The Wall of Kindness”, enables the citizens of Halifax to partake in a co-operative citizenship and camaraderie outdoor charity initiative, in which they leave goods—mainly coats— they no longer want for those who need them. Ideal for this project is a deceptively concrete and clear-cut surface wall onto which a coat hanger is installed with a motto: "Leave it if you do not need it” and "Take it if you need it”. This initiative—first conceptualized in Iran—is not connected to any organization.
Charitable giving is an important value for Haligonians, so a simple act of an anonymous philanthropist deed will lead to the re-appropriation of ‘the wall’ as a tool for inclusion rather than division, and becomes a powerful symbol for citizenship and solidarity across the province of Nova Scotia, and beyond.
