Social Distancing vs. Human Nature
Human beings are, by nature, gregarious. From our very first moments, touch is the prism through which we learn, grow, and connect, and it remains central to our physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being throughout life.
1. Touch Is Our First Language
The skin, the largest organ of the body, is our first gateway to the world. From infancy, a child’s primary mode of exploration is tactile: stroking, grasping, and hugging. Before they can speak, babies learn comfort, trust, and safety through contact. My niece, now eighteen months old, runs to me with open arms and an eager smile, seeking the embrace that soothes her tears and strengthens our bond. Such instinctual behaviour isn’t taught; it is woven into our very biology. As Tiffany Field reminds us, “Touch is stronger than verbal or emotional contact and is critical for children’s growth, development, and health, as well as for adults’ physical and mental well-being.”
When Sports Led the Way
In the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, when the world was told to “social distance” and embrace a “new normal,” something resisted that narrative: sports, especially football.
Football didn’t just survive; it became a beacon of hope. Players and coaches continued to embrace after goals. Fans celebrated with hugs, clapping, and singing. We saw a living refutation of isolation. Amid pandemic fears, the pitch became a stage where collective joy and solidarity triumphed over distance. I remember seeing Liverpool fans riding on each other’s shoulders, waving flags in joy when they won the league. That joy was not just about the game; it was about being together. It was as if football said to the world, “This is who we are—people who gather, who touch, who connect.”
To think that “social distancing” could become the permanent future of humanity is like telling fish they must live on land to survive water pollution. It is absurd. You cannot strip a creature of its essence to protect its existence.
I believe God used sports to show us the way back to ourselves. When the church was silent and closed its doors in obedience to fear, sports rose to remind us what human nature looks like—togetherness, joy, and unity. Just as God has used unlikely tools throughout history, I believe He used football as a wake-up call during lockdown.
God’s Nature Is Relationship and Unity
God’s very nature is relational. The Trinity, which is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, is a perfect unity of three persons in one being. Jesus himself emphasized this inseparable bond when he said, “I and the Father are one” (John 10:30), “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father” (John 14:9), and “Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me?” (John 14:10). They were never socially distanced.
God is love, and love draws near. Love bridges distance. From Genesis to Revelation, the story of God brings closeness, not separation. God instructed Moses to build a tabernacle so He could dwell among His people. In the New Testament, He took it even further by sending His Son, who took on flesh to live among us (Philippians 2:6–8). That is the essence of love—coming close, even when it costs Him his only son. This profound act was an expression of love seeking closeness with humanity.
Genesis 3:8 even suggests God walked with Adam and Eve in the Garden, enjoying intimate fellowship in the “cool of the day.” God is not a distant, detached deity but a relational being who created humans to live in connection with Him and with one another.
Humans Are Social Animals by Divine Design
The Lord declared, “It is not good for man to be alone” (Genesis 2:18). Aristotle echoed this, calling man a “social animal.” Cooperation, community, and connection are essential to survival and flourishing. We respond to touch because it resonates with our very nature.
The Bible is filled with calls to fellowship and harmony:
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“How wonderful and pleasant it is when brothers live together in harmony!” (Psalm 133:1)
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“Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together” (Hebrews 10:25)
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“Therefore, what God has joined together, let no one separate.” (Mark 10:9)
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“Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar.” (1 John 4:20)
Even Jesus longed to gather people under His wings like a mother hen does her chicks (Luke 13:34). We are built for togetherness. We are designed to gather. The Church is called “the Body of Christ,” not separate organs scattered about, but connected, unified, touching.
The Pain of Isolation
When we remove touch and togetherness from the human experience, we cause deep emotional and psychological harm. Removing touch from our lives exacts a deep toll. Prisons use solitary confinement as punishment precisely because isolation fractures the human spirit.
During the COVID-19 lockdown, a survey cited by Professor Tiffany Field found that nearly 60% of people experienced touch deprivation, which led to increased stress, anxiety, depression, sleep problems, and PTSD symptoms. We were made for contact. To deny this is to deny our very design.
Finally,
When God created the universe, He spoke it into existence. But when He made man, He touched us. He formed Adam from the dust with His hands and breathed life into him. That moment—hands-on, intimate—tells us something profound: we matter deeply to God. He is the God who touched us first.
While temporary distancing may be necessary for health reasons, it should never become the permanent “new normal, because love will always bring us back together. No matter how far we drift into isolation, something in us will fight to return to connection. That’s why people held onto their families, why neighbours reached out, and why fans returned to stadiums. It’s why even during lockdown, people still risked hugs. To be human is to be relational. To touch and be touched. To love and be loved. Being gregarious is not just a preference; it’s our nature. Take it away, and we suffer. Embrace it, and we thrive. We were not created to stand apart but to stand together.
