04 05 2020 LIFE AS WE KNOW IT

We have to admit, it is extremely difficult and nearly impossible to keep a firm grip on hope these days, especially at time riddled with grim uncertainty. As of press time, we are just about to clock out of the second week of the state-mandated enhanced community quarantine in a Hail Mary effort to flatten the curve of the menacing Covid-19 viral outbreak. Noticeably gone are the novelties of the lockdown and the apparent liberties of working from home. In its place are anxieties, fear, and acquiescence wearing down on our already withering souls. And with no apparent end to this gripping and alarming crisis, is this the new normal we will have to operate on for the foreseeable future?

As tenacious human beings with more grit and verve than we are sometimes even aware of, it is inherent for us to be weighed down by unforeseen and unparalleled circumstances such as this. While this remains true, the innate will to fight back harder will always ascend, giving more meaning to the adage of the strong surviving. Now, this doesn’t just mean throwing aimless punches in survival mode. In fact, now more than ever, it entails speaking and standing up for what is right, pointing out was wrong so as the world moves forward in unity, not backwards to serve a privileged few.

This is life as we know it, cautiously hopeful, but decidedly realistic. There is no pussyfooting around this—the new world demands an attitude and solutions fit for the modern point-of-view. Even if we are going up an enemy with no face, it is by no means any less of a fight we will give way to. There is much more at stake now, a life that deserves a future to see through and thrive.

Now, will you just sit down and watch the world waste away, or are you making an effort that matters? Remember that this isn’t just about you and your life anymore, but for everyone as well—their hope for a new day included.

So, do something.

My family is typically Filipino. We are six siblings who have profound respect for our parents who grew up at a time with little to no luxuries and conveniences. They were very grounded and didn’t have illusions of grandeur like most people my generation. They believed in hard work, respecting elders, paying it forward and finishing the food on your plate. They hated waste. Instead of resting on weekends, we were asked to do two things: clean and pray. While I’m generally obedient, the spoiled me abhorred cleaning because it felt like a task of adults and hired help. What was the point of tidying up if the natural direction of form was chaos anyway? It was an absolute waste of time. On Sundays, we would be woken up early to hear mass. Of course, I was not allowed to be vocal about my aversion to prayer, so I just went along with it for years. I was terrible. I would not only tune out during homilies, but I would also think about the Sunday lunch spread that I would enjoy at the end of this sixty minute agony or other silly things.

A lot has changed since living in one home with five sibling and two parents. Today, I woke up in my own apartment and it is a Sunday morning. Normally, I would hear street noises like a parent yelling at a child for being naughty, or vehicles trying to beat a red light. Today, there is only deafening silence. It is also the first day of the 30-day community quarantine because of the COVID-19 virus, an unprecedented pandemic that is affecting and taking the lives of people globally. I’ve been obsessing about the news on the virus since it broke out in the Hubei province of China in January. I saw the beginning of the total lockdown in Wuhan and monitored how the locals were dealing with their unfortunate situation. I also saw how the plague like COVID-19 was affecting people and businesses. It was killing everything that in its way, especially those that were dirty, literally and figuratively. From nonessential businesses to the airline industry, everything was getting canceled and shutting down. COVID-19 was forcing people and governments to clean up.

This generation is told, “You can be whatever you want to be.” While I subscribe to freedom, I also believe in discipline and knowing your limitations. We simply can’t eat all the food we want and not get fat. We can’t spend on luxury and frivolities and not work for the money to pay for them. We can’t create a mess and not clean up afterward. We can’t accept things that are given to us and not say thank you. We can’t be ungrateful.

So much has been said about the deadly Coronavirus and how it is healing the world. I believe in all of these things and unfortunately, like health care in most places, the cost of the earth’s treatment will come at a very high cost. Deaths will continue to increase and will be within your close circle, businesses will shut down, people will go hungry and angry, and people will be canceled. This pandemic will remove all those who are greedy and selfish. It will be painful, but that’s what happens when all you do is take, take, take and not return. COVID-19 will also be an awakening for many people. I hope you and I both realize that this is not just about cleansing on the surface level, it is a deep clean that we’ve needed for a long time. Don’t feel bad when friends, things or loved ones are taken away; be grateful that they were in your life in the first place albeit temporary.

Hindsight is always 20/20. I’m so thankful to my parents for teaching me to clean and go to church. My apartment is spic and span and thanks to technology, it is also being sanitized every day of this enhanced community quarantine. I’m close but far enough from my parents. Since I’m a frequent traveler and always on the go, moving out of the house was the best decision I made five years ago especially for the new normal that is social distancing. I also severed ties with close friends over the last twelve months and I’m now filing and closing those under my many heartbreaks. I’m so relieved that toxicity is out of my life if I’m being totally honest. Now, that my life glass is being emptied, there’s room for new people. I haven’t stopped praying either since childhood and now that I’m a full-fledged flawed adult, I mean every prayer I say.

Don’t be afraid to cleanse. In fact, give your life a deep clean and sanitize it, so that you safeguard yourself. You will come out stronger and this is going to be your best glow up. I can’t wait for your return.