During the pandemic, many of us banded together to solve problems in our communities, and adopted a more communal approach. Alex Noel wonders if we can get back to being more ’collective’ and be a positive influence in the process.
The phrase, ‘You do you’ has become a familiar mantra, said in approval, or to justify our decisions. Like many western cultures, British society is characterised by this sense of individualism; which values independence and rewards self-reliance. It’s how we define freedom.
How much a culture emphasises the ‘I’ (Individualism) over the ‘We’ (Collectivism) can be measured. One index - part of ‘Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions Theory’, gives the UK a score of 89. We’re highly Individualistic; outdone only by Australia (90) and the US (91). This index was even shown to correlate with the number of COVID deaths suffered during the pandemic.
However, faced with those very challenges; we had a time to break rank with our typical tendencies. During the pandemic, many of us banded together to solve problems in our communities, and adopted a more communal approach. We considered our shared concerns more than ourselves. We stood on our doorsteps to cheer the NHS, joined sewing groups to make hospital scrubs, and even got to know our neighbours better - with all of us urged to ‘stay at home’.
But the hiatus from business as usual and the restrictions that accompanied it soon became too much - in the end it was exasperating. A return to normal couldn’t come soon enough!
Leaving the pandemic years in our wake, a series of trends has emerged which signal a fundamental shift in our habits, values and behaviour.
And yet, we haven’t returned to normal. Leaving the pandemic years in our wake, a series of trends has emerged which signal a fundamental shift in our habits, values and behaviour.
For example, in theatres, audiences have reportedly forgotten how to behave altogether. A series of news stories over the last year have told of several audiences behaving badly. From Edinburgh to Manchester to London, performances have been interrupted by raucous and rowdy crowds. There have been brawls in foyers, heckling from the stalls, and unsolicited singing in the aisles.
It’s not altogether new. Actor Andrew Scott stopped mid-way through delivering Hamlet’s famous soliloquy on stage at the Almeida Theatre in 2017, after spotting a member of the audience on a laptop, doing their emails.
As in many social settings, theatre etiquette dictates that there are acceptable ways to behave. But occurrences like these have also prompted debate as to whether the strict rules governing audiences should be relaxed, and whether this could be applied to other public settings.
Since the pandemic, society has understandably retreated, forced as we were during COVID to avoid public gatherings.
This is matched by a documented move towards an ‘introvert economy’. Since the pandemic, society has understandably retreated, forced as we were during COVID to avoid public gatherings. But while there is a valid preference for the comfort of home, perhaps this also contributes to a lack of clarity about how to behave when we’re ‘out and about’.
Teenagers and young people too, who increasingly live online, are more reticent to engage face to face. While they occupy digital spaces including virtual and gaming communities with confidence - there is less opportunity and motivation to practise those important social skills ‘IRL’.
And with more people opting to stay in, the trend for home delivery continues unabated, which brings its own issues. Delivery riders hoping to shave off important minutes - rush to get orders delivered. In cities like London, bikes fly down pavements, duck through traffic and dodge pedestrians; running lights and pushing through zebra crossings with people on them. But the same rider who nearly ran me over, also delivered my meal in under 30 minutes. What to do?
It’s symptomatic of a broader change in society. In essence a series of established social contracts, and codes of conduct, are being challenged, broken and even reinvented to accommodate this post-pandemic shift. What’s more, these behaviours are contagious so our deeply embedded individualism is becoming more extreme.
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What we’re seeing now could be described as selfish individualism. Emerging as a ‘shadow-self’; from its comparatively reasonable and placid alter-ego. This selfishness seeks its own benefit at the expense of others, acting solely in its own interests. In extremis it leads to a ‘tragedy of the commons’ where much-needed public resources are depleted to everyone’s detriment.
The renegotiation of rules and relationships is somewhat inevitable - even necessary, after the pandemic. As Christians we can be a positive influence in this process.
Generosity especially takes the focus off ourselves, and blesses others. It multiplies. Not only by sharing our physical resources but also our kindness, patience, gentleness and respect. And in being ready to ‘give a reason for the hope that we have’.
