Dr Yousuf Ali Al mulla
Vaccines are here and with them the promise of a return to something from the previous normal life. Over the coming months, many of us will return to travel and move around more to see family and friends. But - if I may say so - the arrival of vaccines also provided an immediate relief: giving people something to talk about!
In fact, you hear here and there: You’ve got your first dose and its news worth listening to. And finally, you have the answer to the dreaded question (How is it going?), perhaps your parents have been fully vaccinated as of today...what a relief.
However, the most important thing is that some people compare vaccines as if they were soap or shampoo, for example and ask which one did you get? Also, you may ask a friend of yours (and you will get the answer: In general, all types of vaccines are very good).
Despite these questions, or small conversations, they play a large role in socialization. This type of speech may be an innate connection to explain small talk as an essential part of social bonding. You answer the phone, go to a store, or pass by your neighbor quickly and you may ask each other: How are you or what are you doing, for instance? The fact of the matter is that when this happens, you are trying to acknowledge someone’s existence, so that you create a more meaningful interaction. On the other hand, this type of conversation may also be - if I may say so - like a blabber to manage a communication channel at social media! You alert people to where, how and when to speak.
Whatever it is, these questions remain a kind of connection and I might say the linguistic glue that binds our interactions together. How not? Such pandemic (COVID-19) has completely broken it, making social interactions even more stressful. And so you might suddenly notice someone asking (How are you?) really involved in asking the question, whether you mean it or not. Who knows, after all whether the other party (or a member of their family) was sick, lost their job, or even reached a tiring level of sadness and fear.
Perhaps the most important thing for all of us is seeing that long chapter of the closure started to fade little by little and vaccines began to herald hope for a return to the new normal, if it is different!
The function of small talk may still be somewhat distorted and you may find yourself still answering the literal meaning of catchy words and now only in terms of calculated optimism you are saying:
I’m fine, I’m starting to see some light at the end of the tunnel.
In a way, I can say here that human speech is flexible and adaptable. Rather, it is baked into our embodied experience of the world and the lives we live daily. And so, as we shall see in time and as more of this world return, the old patterns of speech we left behind in the shops, parks, and faraway places we left will return. Possibly a lot of people are obsessed with social compliments and it will be hard for them to resist the urge to send an informal message (how’s it going?) at the earliest opportunity.
Finally, restoring the normalcy of short conversations may relieve the stress of the pandemic more than you think. May be that group of researchers and interacting parties, will feel a new vigor, after a year of unexpected decline. Think about how happy it is to say (I’m fine) even though you didn’t notice...but you meant it!
Dr.Yousuf Ali Al Mulla is a physician, medical innovator and a writer. For any queries regarding the contents of the article, contact at: [email protected]
