Shame Is Not Useful in a Pandemic
There’s no ‘right’ way to quarantine
What will you do with your time in quarantine? Will you optimize your skill set? Will you maximize your time at home by fine-tuning the same professional skills you’ve been fine-tuning for years?
If not, there are a spate of articles I can show you that might make you feel ashamed.
Shame is abundant and endlessly varied in this pandemic. This quarantine has amplified it even further, as face-to-face accountability is slashed to near- zero.
Some shame is useful — such as the shame we cast on others for going out in public when it’s not necessary. Or for buying up a shopping cart of Purell. Or for being racist.
But most shame is not useful, such as the shame we cast on friends or family for “taking this whole coronavirus thing too seriously.” Or for listening to scientists. Or for buying a gun. Or for being a boomer. Or for being young. Or for going to the deli for an egg sandwich when there are eggs at home. Or for buying a pack of cigarettes when they just wanted one. Or for keeping a small business open an extra day. Or for not truly experiencing the last semester of college, or a trip, prom, graduation. Or for a lapse that led to a handshake, rather than an elbow. Or for not feeling like a great parent, or for shouting…
