“Each, on his own, can do so much for each.” — Anonymous

From afar, we admire.

We dare not get any closer, though; and why should we, really, when even they stand so far apart?

Across the land, thousands of these pylons — tall, imposing, and powerful — line up, but even the most thorough examination of your immediate environs would only reveal a few . . . or none at all.

Still, you feel their presence daily, lighting up and easing your life, because what binds them — thick cables surging with electric current — overcomes the vast spaces in-between.

Distance, clearly, matters not; they’re connected alright, only apart.

That right there is the essence of social distancing, illustrated so vividly by these towers of galvanized steel, but apparently difficult for many humans to grasp — let alone practice — in recent weeks when the world has had to battle the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.

Admittedly, the concept sounds new to most people, although some — anti-social types like this writer — have generally embraced it for years. For a generation that is often criticized for not connecting enough, it’s quite ironic that we’re being encouraged — for the race’s sake — to avoid each other; stay at home, or, at least, stay away from congested areas.

Here, though, is the greater irony: now that we actually have a noble reason to keep apart, doing so doesn’t seem so easy — or so pleasant — anymore.

As the pylons do teach, however, being apart — even widely so — isn’t always a bad thing; in this case, actually, it’s for the greater good.

And good we’ll be, folks, so long as that which keeps us connected is stronger than the miles which separate us. Let love, through cables of hope, surge.

From afar, let’s connect.