Supporting Solidarity Over Orthodoxy

Key points

Early pandemic acts of care showed how spontaneous solidarity can unite communities.

Policies without participation often breed compliance at best and resistance at worst.

Listening, inclusion, and reciprocity boost willingness to share costs for the common good.

Belonging and mutual responsibility are key to tackling crises in health, climate, and democracy.

In the opening days of the pandemic—amid so much grief , fear , and uncertainty—something profoundly positive emerged. At dusk, apartment blocks became amphitheaters. People stepped onto balconies and stoops, banged pots and pans , clapped into the cold air, and sang across courtyards to honour frontline workers. Neighbours taped hearts in their windows. Teenagers ran groceries to elders. Seamstresses stitched