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Hope always triumphs over experience. As it is, major towns are slowly being desolated, as more and more people come to terms with the pandemic at hand.
The rallying call has been quarantine, sanitize, isolate, and keep a social distance. To many, this is outlandish.
Since the time God realized that man was lonely and made him a helper, man has been a social being. In fact, psychologists recommend socialization for a healthy and more productive mind and body. To survive the pandemic, we have to disregard all that and quarantine.
Our homes are now our safe, havens. Darkness sometimes lurks in places you wouldn’t imagine. Some are afraid of their partners, children, or even the whole idea of spending time with them.
The pandemic has caused a real paradigm shift in family relations—no more excuses and blame games in terms of parenting and sharing duties.
But there is hope after all this. We cannot allow ourselves to fall into depression. Let us look at the good things; look to the fullness life has, look to life after this.
Let us believe in our ability to stay strong. During quarantine, sprinkle some excitement into your daily routine. I have seen people resorting to various games as a family. Make a dance video. Cook together and read each other poems.
The pandemic might even augment our family ties after all. It’s okay to feel fearful, but the important thing is not to stay in fear. We are going to beat this if we take the necessary precautions.
We can borrow from the Chinese cornucopia of examples of communities brought together by heart, humor, and creativity during this time.
Citizens in Wuhan recorded themselves singing classic tunes, fishing from home aquariums, playing solitaire with plastic bags over their heads, and choreographing wacky dance moves. All these are constructive and healing social acts.
Life does not have to be apocalyptic during this time, defined by horror scenarios of collapse and conflict.
Humans experienced pandemics before, such as the Spanish flu, which lasted from 1918 to 1920. Collectively, we have the resilience to beat this pandemic just like old times.
Let us believe in the possibility that disease outbreaks can be lived through with empathy, ingenuity, and sheer human ordinariness.
