Fluid Empathy: Travel, Choices & Respect in the time of Covid-19
“The social media world is brutal as far as shaming goes. No matter which side you’re on, you hate the other side.”
- Holly Beck, Surf with Amigas Founder and Former Professional Surfer
There is a logical fallacy known as the “false dilemma”, “false dichotomy” or the “black-and-white” fallacy. It’s a line of reasoning that limits options to only two choices, though the problems of the world are far more gray.. False dichotomy can be deployed as a tactic to polarize the audience, where one side is demonstrated as heroic and the other side is demonized. It’s an easy fallacy to succumb to, as Brene Brown explains: “Normally, we used forced choice and false dichotomies during times of significant emotional stress. Our intentions may not be to manipulate, but to force the point that we’re in a situation where neutrality is dangerous.”
As an American, I wholeheartedly believe that we could have and could be managing the spread of Covid-19 more effectively. Through observation of countries such as New Zealand, I believe that Americans, and the world, could minimize or even eradicate the virus altogether. I believe that we each can help minimize the spread of the virus by staying home and by wearing masks when we are not home. And yet, American social media has largely reduced this to a false dilemma: stay home or kill people.
In June of 2020, I spent five days on the Appalachian Trail, hiking with my boyfriend through the Smokey Mountains of Tennessee. To prepare for and recover from the hike, we stayed in a hotel in the area before and after our foot journey. In October of 2020, my boyfriend and I embarked on a two month road trip across the USA — surfing and snowboarding our way through California, Montana, and Wyoming before making the journey home. As part of that trip, I attended a three day surf camp with nine other women, led by Leah Dawson and Kassia Meador.In February of 2021, I traveled to Nicaragua to stay and surf at the remote beach of Vera Cruz. Fellow surfers will know it as Playgrounds. I stayed with a local camp, Playgrounds Surf Camp, run by an American who lives in Nicaragua full-time as a legal resident.
You may think that I am careless or reckless. You may even think that I’m a bad person. Rather than asking if (or declaring that) I’m a hypocritical, bad human who is promoting the spread of a global virus, let us ask the questions:
- Is traveling during a global pandemic causing harm?
- Is there a way to travel (locally, nationally, globally) without causing harm?
That is, ‘causing harm’ as it relates to Covid-19: directly spreading this virus and the impact of an outbreak.
Let’s start with the second question: Is there a way to travel without causing harm? In my experience, the answer is yes. Is there any certainty that you will not cause harm? No. Just as there is zero certainty that you won’t cause harm these days if you enter your neighborhood grocery store.
Now, I do recognize that distributing Covid-19 in a developing country where the healthcare system may not be so strong poses a greater chance for harm than distributing Covid-19 in the United States. I also recognize that travel, in general, increases the odds of spreading this deadly virus. I respect that. However, I believe that it’s possible to travel during this global pandemic without causing harm.
Which brings us also to our first question: Is traveling during a global pandemic causing harm? Maybe. While my experience tells me that there are cases where one can travel (even internationally) without spreading Covid-19, I am aware that there are also cases where traveling has directly spread Covid-19. Hello — it’s how the virus has wrapped its deadly gooeyness around the entire globe in the first place!
Let’s turn our attention from this goo to another, the world of social media, which largely begs to differ. My feed is split between spiritual leaders who say that travel is a deeply personal choice, and enraged yogis who are calling people out for not following the first rule of yoga: do no harm. It hosts the hashtag #surfathome and it follows the World Surf League which is beginning to resume travel and in-person competition. Stories on Instagram boast the “non-essentials” that people are giving up like drinks in bars and leaving their homes at all, as well as the complete lack of concern for the population at large, like speaking out against masks or the realities of covid in general. Everything in the realm of Covid-19 feels controversial, most especially, travel.
Social media is what led me to these questions in the first place. I had to ask myself: Does it have to be one way? Am I a bad person for posting photos of myself snowboarding in Big Sky, MT or surfing the warm waters of Nicaragua? Am I promoting something that causes direct harm to others?
I have done a fair amount of traveling since Covid-19 joined us in America. I have also taken serious precaution in both the planning and the execution of said travel, working diligently to ensure that I minimize the likelihood of directly spreading the virus. I test. I will test again. I quarantine, knowing that a negative test result doesn’t mean it’s still not important to wear masks. I frequently sanitize and keep a distance of six feet from other humans. In cases where I have gathered (such as the surf retreat with nine other women), I mingle with folks who all agree to get tested and quarantine accordingly. Still, we wear masks, sanitize, and keep our distance. I’m not saying that I am doing it right, or even that I’m doing it well, or that there is zero risk in my choices. I’m not even saying that I should or shouldn’t — definitely not saying whether you should or shouldn’t!
Because it doesn’t have to be one way, I don’t think that I am a bad person or that I am promoting something that directly causes harm to others. I am simply highlighting that it’s possible to minimize your harm to others by being mindful and intentional with who you keep in your company and how you interact with other humans.
There are more than two ways we can consider travel in the time of Covid-19. In fact, there are more than two ways we can consider a lot of things.
Let’s open up the discussion so that we might practice empathy in all directions, especially toward ourselves. The world is complicated and every human being, every situation is more complex yet. We don’t know the perspective, the caring, the vigilance of others (regardless of what they choose to share of themselves), until we seek it.
The year 2020 has been a battle of two sides, on so many different topics and levels. A persecution of those who are not doing, following, believing, advocating for what we are ourselves doing, following, believing and sharing. Where is the kindness in that? Where is the growth? What other options do we have? Because I assure you, there are very likely more than two. In philosophical logic, a true dilemma is when there really exists only two options for which to choose.
We have more than two options, so let’s get curious and start asking questions. Let’s share what we really think, while staying open to being challenged. We may not agree with everyone, but we don’t have to. We can respect a sound argument, without bashing someone’s character. If the argument is not sound, then by all means pick it apart — but don’t devalue the human. It’s through discourse where we learn, ideate, co-create, and grow. Let’s do more of that as we begin to travel back into a post-Covid world, please.
Not sure where you stand? A wise friend once told me, “Start with a place only in yourself. And then build outwards to consider others.”
