Ever since the rise of Amazon, online vending, and communication technology improvements, brick and mortar retail has suffered, the shipping industry is booming, and people can do more from the convenience of their homes and on their own schedule than ever before. Don\u2019t feel like grocery shopping? Plenty of chains offer delivery. Don\u2019t want to go out to your favorite local restaurant? I bet they have GrubHub or their own delivery. There was a rumor at one point of major movie studios grudgingly offering the chance to stream new releases into your home (for a significant price) to allow people to watch current films without having to go to the theater. Don\u2019t feel like going outside for a run? If you have a newer-model treadmill, you may be able to use built-in scenic runs on your screen. In fact, some have the wireless technology to show other people running the same program at the same time so you can \u201ccompete\u201d against them if you so choose.
As someone who doesn\u2019t like dealing with crowds and bad traffic (I do some grocery shopping late on weeknights to avoid the Saturday rush), it\u2019s ironic that I also express concern about how walling ourselves off in our homes and comfort zones may have an unfortunate effect. For example, in Colorado we have mail-in ballots for our elections. This is convenient on a number of levels yet I wonder about the unintended effects of not seeing your fellow voters at the polls. By waiting with strangers from your locality to cast your vote, you get a healthy reminder that they\u2019re not mysterious beings conspiring to get \u201cthe other person\u201d to win, they\u2019re people from your community who see through a different lens than you.
No one likes crowded supermarkets, or sitting in a long line of traffic after a sporting event, or waiting forty minutes for the \u201cnext available table.\u201d And yet, it exposes us to a variety of people and is a healthy reminder of who we are as a community.
As we work to combat Coronavirus, some regions and cities that have been affected are shutting down mass gatherings and that is an important step to help ensure we remain healthy. Yet, while the worst impact of Coronavirus is on people\u2019s health and our day-to-day operating, an additional consequence, even if it\u2019s necessary to protect ourselves, may be that we are further shut off from each other. We all hope that this virus will be contained and eradicated as soon as possible so that we can continue to go on with our lives as we did, or close to it. But, assuming there may be future global health concerns, I wonder how some industries will adapt and if this need\/desire to quarantine ourselves will create an atmosphere where more in-home technology for work, shopping, and entertainment will blossom. We may have to go out even less than we do now.
For the 2019 version of the New York Marathon, the organizers offered a \u201cvirtual\u201d qualifying process where you could pay them and a different marathon to run the latter\u2019s race while gaining entry into New York. That\u2019s not too far removed from having people virtually run a race on a treadmill. They probably wouldn\u2019t be allowed to qualify for winning awards but it\u2019s an option many people might be interested in pursuing.
Unlike many social activities, running can be done in the open air and either by yourself or with one or more other people. But, as you\u2019re not in a closed environment and you\u2019re generally not handling the same equipment, it may be one activity that can persist while the rest of our lives get bubbled in. And, when you run outside, you get a good, sometimes long, view of your community and what\u2019s going on around you. If you\u2019re running with people, you\u2019re getting solid interaction and less risk of a superficial glance.
As we move through this current health concern, our precautions may mean less meaningful human interaction and we may have to continue to operate this way going forward. Given the importance of staying healthy, it\u2019s a necessary step though we will want to find ways to continue to recognize humanity around us. For now running remains free, and also allows us to see the community around us. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Ever since the rise of Amazon, online vending, and communication technology improvements, brick and mortar retail has suffered, the shipping industry is booming, and people can do more from the convenience of their homes and on their own schedule than ever before. Don\u2019t feel like grocery shopping? Plenty of chains offer delivery. Don\u2019t want to … <\/p>\n