The family log would say: on this sixth day of quarantine, our self-imposed rationing of food and other stuff like antiseptics and detergents is holding up (but with biscuits and Mega sardines in the red). It is also the sixth day of the family’s novena to St. Jude, so we got spiritual covered. We have cleaned house and washed all laundry more than three times this week and it is office mode still in effect for all three of us, save for preparing lunch kits (baon) for two people, as everyone’s staying home. Lastly, the log would end like:
Health: check, with blood pressure and sugar regularly monitored and sun exposure recommended for 15 minutes in the morning.
Wits: near critical level.
Recom: wash your hands and hydrate.
Note: this is just us.
It’s like living inside a post-apocalyptic movie, with only the net as link to the outside world (we don’t watch TV). The news however, as though to keep apace with the dark times, is not so good either. We have heard of disturbing news from all over.
In General Santos City, countless senior citizens intending to buy their medicine are denied entry inside drugstores because of the mayor’s standing order that “vulnerable members of our society are advised to stay home and prohibited in public places”. The possibility of senior citizens not having relatives or anybody to do errands for them seems lost on this city’s officials. From faraway Spain, a nursing home is left abandoned, with its old residents lying in along with the dead. In supermarkets, these old folks jostle with the rest, only to lose in the frantic race for food, disinfectants or toiletries.
It seems that the world is in chaos and families everywhere are affected, especially those without the convenience of reliable information in far-flung, hard to reach areas (with no internet).
So what to do, what to do?
I came across an article about a slowly-growing movement that takes the initiative against the rising tide of uncertainties, to describe the goings-on in a general way. “The virus has taken a toll on all of us, but what if we can make kindness go viral instead?” thus said Rick Patel, the founder of Avaaz.
For one, it actually breaks through the existing misconception of rearing. A popular meme conveys the similar message: Being raised right doesn’t mean you do not party, smoke, drink or swear. Being raised right is how you treat people. Viral kindness as the movement is called, believes that only a massive action of different acts of kindness can help slow the virus. How, already local support groups have been assisting seniors and other vulnerable groups during their isolation, bringing food and essential medications to all those under quarantine. It should be done here, if even just as alternatives to draconian implementations and measures, such as the one in Gensan. Membership to local chapters have begun on social media. At least, the able-bodied among us can make a difference during these times.
