“The Ottoman coffeehouses brought together citizens across society for educational, social, and political activity as well as general information exchange. Before their introduction, the home, the mosque, and the shop were the primary sites of interpersonal interaction. Eventually, though, there existed one coffeehouse for every six or seven commercial shops. And by the end of the nineteenth century, there were nearly 2,500 coffeehouses in Istanbul alone” – source https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ottoman_coffeehouse

People don’t go to the gym to exercise

People don’t go to bookstores to buy a book

People don’t go to the beach to swim in the ocean

People don’t go to concerts to listen to music

People don’t run marathons to get fit

People don’t hang out in coffee shops to get caffeinated

People don’t go to church, mosque or synagogue to worship

People don’t go to meditation retreats to meditate

Humans are social animals. We congregate in places because we crave face to face interactions and bodily contact. The world has made a choice to step into the equivalent of a medically induced coma. We are like a plant that lies dormant in the winter, waiting for spring. Humans aren’t meant to be inactive and alone. We thrive and grow when we interact during the messiness of everyday living. This time shall pass, and then we’ll get back to who we are as a species.

Photo by Davor Denkovski on Unsplash