By Jim Paredes
Yes, I already know all about the covid protocols. Wash your hands often for at least 20 seconds. Wear a mask and face screen when you are with people. Observe social distancing. Avoid crowds. I think I already know everything I need to know and find comfort in practicing them. I have stopped searching on the net for covid related articles.
For today, I wish to write about the other things I have learned and the changes I have noticed in the way everyone has been coping with the situation. Some of my observations are obvious. Others, maybe not so. Here they are.
1.Many people all over the world are suffering physically, emotionally, psychologically, spiritually, socially and financially.
2. Joblessness in practically all sectors of the economy has been unprecedented. Financial difficulties, are already hitting practically everyone.
3. It is not wise to rely on government. In our case, government does not know what it is doing and is bereft of any plans to get us out of this situation. To put it bluntly, the government is inept and incompetent to handle this pandemic.
We are all on our own.
4. Enrolment in schools is at an all time low at 30 percent. Kids who cannot afford to buy computers or tablets have a hard time participating in school. For young parents who still have jobs, it is a hard choice they face. Do they stay home and help the kids with school, or do they go out to work?
5. Starvation is real. It is haunting a lot of homes and communities. Even convents and seminaries where young people train to be priests and nuns are suffering from lack of food and money. A lot of them now depend on income from food they make and sell to various communities.
6. It used to happen once every few weeks. But everyday now, my friends and I increasingly come across posts on social media about people in our circle getting covid infections and deaths. It is getting too scary.
7. I have become more productive since I got to Sydney. The isolation has made me more mindful and therefore creative. I have been writing songs quite often.
8. I find myself praying more than ever. Every night before sleeping, I have my time with God and ask for protection for my family, friends, relatives. I include all of humanity in my prayers and everyone may be safe and free from all harm.
11. On social media, there is so much emotional content going on. People are expressing pain and worry. It is a stressful time. American writer Neale Donald Walsch once wrote that people at anytime are always coming from just two emotions: love or fear.
There are people who share more happy, hopeful and positive stories and memes. And there are those who are angry, scared, panicky, and depressed. I swing from one pole to the other quite often. I see people readily offering encouraging words or just reaching out with kindness and sympathy to strangers who need them. I also see more messages now from people who are down and out asking for financial help.
12. I am happy that Lydia and I are getting along quite well in our empty nest in Sydney. Even if money is tight, things are relatively easy. We are almost always just at home sharing the house, conversation, watching TV together, doing chores and feeling good about it.
13. Zoom, for friends and family has become the new dining table. My sibs and I zoom every Saturday morning. It is so much fun that we all look forward to it. We have never been closer. We love each other and express this freely. And yes, we laugh a lot. Too much sometimes. We keep each other sane by being insanely ridiculous during these conversations. I don’t think there is any other family like ours. In this department, we hit the jackpot big time.
14. I am learning that the more I am present and care about the suffering of others, my own pain becomes easier to handle.
15. I am learning that there are infinitely more things to notice, enjoy, and be grateful for despite the travel limitations and social distancing that the pandemic has forced upon us. When you notice how the plants grow, or how the weather changes at different times of the day, or how the sunsets can be so beautiful, this lockdown existence can seem so blessed and beautiful.
16. My children seem to be adapting quite well to the restrictions brought by the lockdown. They have been acting responsibly as far as keeping themselves safe from Covid. While everyone has been suffering from some financial setbacks, they are realising that they are more creative and a lot tougher than they thought they were.
17. I am always in awe of Lydia’s culinary skills. I praise her quite often. She thinks I am so easy to please. Maybe so. But my appreciation is so real and obvious I have to compliment her aloud a few times each meal. She answers me saying how OA I am, but I think she likes it!
18. Ironically, while we all cannot be physically close to friends and classmates, my friends and I have become closer than ever. Perhaps it is because of the fear of losing each other during this pandemic. In fact, we have already lost two in our barkada the past 2 months although not through Covid. The rest of us are talking more and sharing thoughts, opinions, jokes, frustrations almost non-stop. We are always there for each other and the two new widows in our group. There are still blessings even in the dark moments. At least no one feels abandoned and alone.
Generally, I notice kindness everywhere. One would think that a life threatening situation would make people be less reachable, or inaccessible as they retreat into their own comfort zones. I notice more people helping each other and caring about others. I see people reaching out with concern when anyone is having a hard time. Maybe kindness has always been in abundance but I am just more observant now.
19. Despite the closure of churches, I am probably hearing mass more than ever before through social media. And yes, I am finding it more meaningful and appreciating it more.
20. Every time I mop, vacuum, clean the house, throw out the garbage, etc., I am actually doing the epic job of fighting entropy. Sounds like a big task, doesn’t it? Physics will tell us that it is the nature of things to naturally go to rot and to pot. The job of humans is to fight entropy so that others may have better lives. We fight decay, deterioration and keep things in good` condition. Some people must hold the sky up for others. I may be operating in the small physical space of my little home but I believe little efforts add up to something greater.
21. I have always been a people person. I love being around people and talking to them. But I have learned to take social distancing quite seriously. I am aware of people on trains, buses, in shopping malls and supermarkets who do not wear masks nor practice social distancing. I walk away from them. When I am close to people and must share a space momentarily, I hold my breath until I am at least already 2 meters away.
22. A lot of people have expressed on social media that their main aim is to focus on surviving 2020 and 2021. While that is admirable and logical, I just want to point out that more than just surviving this mess, we can all watch in awareness at how everything including ourselves is changing. It is fascinating, inspiring even. There are lots of takeaways we can get from this.
Life is still full of poetry and gifts. There is still so much of life to live. Love is alive perhaps more than ever. I hope we all awaken to this sooner than later.
I know we will not only survive 2020 and 2021. Even with all the difficulties, it is still possible to thrive in many ways, although it is more difficult financially, and materially. But whatever and however the world looks like after all this, we can learn to be better humans now so we can rebuild our lives easier and better later.
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