Physical distancing, please

This is corona time. But that’s not news – there’s no escaping it. It’s everywhere and it affects us all in many ways. The world looks empty; it is both quiet and loud at the same time. We are in this bizarre movie featuring an invisible enemy, and we’re hoping that some superpower hero will appear and save us all. But this is real and it is up to each of us to deal with it.

Governments and health organizations tell us what to do to stay healthy. Some of their advice is so basic but we apparently need reminding: wash your hands! Other precautionary measures are new and directly influence the way we interact with each other: stay home, practice social distancing. That’s hard for any human being. We want to meet people, go out, and, particularly if you just arrived in Eindhoven, get to know your new home.

Working in the high-tech region of Brainport has taught me that when serious issues are at stake, the language used to communicate about them has to be extremely precise, just like the technology developed here. So when the term ‘social distancing’ was first introduced, one of my colleagues at ASML immediately contacted the communications department to tell us that the term was not correct. We should not practice ‘social’ distancing but ‘physical’ distancing, he explained.

And he is 100% right. There is absolutely no need to stop socializing. If anything, it is more important and probably more necessary than ever. A friendly interaction will overcome any 1.5 meter barrier. It is possible to introduce yourself as the new neighbor and keep a safe distance at the same time. We can still greet, comfort, listen, smile, care, talk, admire each other’s kids, exchange information about our favorite restaurants and tell our friends they are the best. It is possible to do all of this, in any language, in any culture. All it takes is not to practice social distancing, but physical distancing: 1.5 meters.

Maybe the superpower we need right now is that little bit of human interaction. It will get us through this. Stay safe, stay healthy.

Monique Mols Corporate Communications, ASML

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