DID YOU CHOOSE DEPRESSION—OR HUMANITARIAN EXPRESSION?

Our response has always been our choice in the face of the COVID crisis

Is the worst over? I hope so and I think so.

The diverse aftereffects of the COVID-19 pandemic will linger for many people long after it has passed. For those who suffered great loss—of loved ones, of health, of financial resources or worse, of livelihood—coping will be their primary preoccupation. For the rest of us who have experienced illness, discomfort or inconvenience to a lesser degree, I believe the experience has taught valuable personal lessons, new ways of looking at life and confronting its unexpected vicissitudes that come our way.

What I will remember most is the passing of some 50 relatives, friends, colleagues and familiar acquaintances, and counting. Although these people died of various causes (some stricken by the virus), I can’t help thinking that the pandemic somehow had helped hasten the deterioration of their health or the aggravation of existing health issues. My regret is not being able to visit close relatives and friends, go to their wakes or attend their funerals, which I would have done in normal times.

Desolation in their final days

More so, I can imagine their own desolation in their final days and hours, as well as the frustration and despair of their loved ones who could not be at their bedside to care for and comfort them, most specially at the time of their passing. Compared to such suffering, my own two bouts with illness— with dengue last year and with COVID this year—are just a minuscule drop in the bucket of life’s trials.

But even for those of us who have not suffered the loss of a loved one at the height of the pandemic, there still exists a sense of loss of one kind or another: of opportunities to have engaged in more productive pursuits; of precious time to be with close family members, such as parents, children, grandchildren, siblings; of business income and growth, and worse, of work and livelihood; of normal health and well-being; for young people, the loss of in-person school time and the company of schoolmates and friends; and for everyone, the loss of many other lifestyle activities such as social gatherings, get-togethers with friends, travel, eating out, engaging in favorite sports, hobbies and other leisure activities.

The question is this: Did we wilt and cave in, become lespirits thargic and depressed, as some people seem to have done? Did we simply dig in and wait patiently for the storm to pass, as many others did? Or did we think outside the box and look for new ways to thrive amid the challenges, and in the process also give a helping hand to our fellowmen who were suffering more than us?

Inspiring and edifying examples

I can give specific examples of the three kinds of responses I mentioned above, but let me just dwell on the last, which is the most inspiring and edifying.

Like many other families, our family (my children, with their respective spouses and children, and I) used to get together regularly before the pandemic, either at my place or in one of their homes. When the strict lockdowns became the norm, my daughters created several chat groups in different social media so we could be in touch often. Because I knew my family had a creative bent, I wanted to do something more concrete and productive than simply chat. So I suggested that we produce a music video of my English translation of “Bayan Ko,” which had become Filipinos’ iconic “go to” anthem in times of national crisis, hopefully to help lift the flagging of our struggling countrymen and somehow reawaken their patriotic fervor.

My suggestion was received enthusiastically by everyone, and we agreed to produce a “homemade” family video, with every daughter’s family contributing to the project: one granddaughter, a good singer, was the vocalist, a grandson the videographer, another one the piano accompanist, a close family friend the music arranger and producer, two daughters as the project’s coproducers, and the rest of the family disseminating and promoting the video online in social media.

The final video went viral in its first week of release, getting close to 30,000 views and hundreds of heartwarming comments in the first three days alone. More than anything, this undertaking demonstrated how motivated individuals can rise above the constraints and challenges of a bad situation to give expression to their innate abilities and strengths despite the odds.

A lot of people I know lost their jobs or their regular sources of income during this pandemic. But instead of sulking in a corner or going into depression, they looked for new ways to stay afloat and support their families in the midst of the lockdowns.

Many possibilities

One nurse, who had to resign from the hospital where she worked because she refused to get the mandatory vaccination for health workers, started to administer in-home reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and antigen tests. She went personally to the houses of the people requesting the tests, and in the process more than made up for her lost income.

A working wife who needed to augment her suddenly diminished income realized that being a vegan had its advantages because people wanted “healthier” food while they were isolated at home. So she applied to be a seller for the producer of the vegan food she had been ordering for herself, and advertised to friends on social media. Before long she had a thriving business selling and delivering vegan dishes, snacks and desserts in her community.

An independent businesswoman selling specialty items from abroad had been very traditional, accepting only cash from her customers and refusing any other mode of payment. But because of the pandemic, many of her regular customers insisted on paying through GCash or online bank transfers. Faced with losing a lot of business, she forced herself to learn and shift to these electronic transactions.* Today she has not only retained her original clientele, but has discovered that being open to new ways of doing things can significantly grow one’s enterprise.

The pandemic has also encouraged altruistic-minded people to discover new avenues to help their struggling fellowmen. I recall with admiration the lady who started the “community pantries” which gave out food and household supplies for free in her community.

Despite initial discouragement and harassment by government authorities, the idea spread, and before long these “pantries” had sprung up in many communities around the country. I can only imagine how many people were saved from going hungry by their generous neighbors who had chosen to express selflessness instead of thinking only of themselves. Space does not allow me to mention the many other expressions of humanitarian acts I witnessed during the pandemic.

Although many of us will continue to carry some of the pandemic’s unpleasant vestiges, this experience has also proven the age-old saying that every crisis is an opportunity for many possibilities. How we have so far responded and how we will continue to respond to this one is always our choice.