AS they say, ‘tis the season once again, or is it? I see in some subdivision houses (ours included) the familiar motifs only identified with the season of Christmas. With the pandemic, the second and third wave, lockdown, and quarantine, that might be a healthy thing.
An activist-friend had once quipped that the proverbial Joneses of the 60s may have finally moved out elsewhere, but here, we are still trying to keep up with them still. Not to think colonial-feudal there, but at leas, we kept the fire burning by being eclectic and maintaining some beliefs they’ve left behind.
Surely, during these days of uncertainty, the outlook to strive way beyond what seeks to limit us always becomes a worthy human trait. No politics or religion in that. In a sense, however, it is never that easy to not give in to the fear.
On a more personal note, someone I know likes to call the whole response to our situation as ‘rolling with punches’. Who knows, in an earlier life, she might have been a fearsome boxer. At times even, I have always meant to ask her if this also meant being down on the floor while one rolled with them left and rights, but I guess that now is not to time to have a bloody nose under this face mask.
In that particular instance, that could be me coping but, overall, that might as well be the guiding spirit behind all these struggles for survival happening all over the world. It also goes without saying that, while we need to respect the so-called struggle by some people to insist on their freedom to believe what they want, that runs contrary to coping. There just isn’t another word for stubborn. It might even prove closer to the term rolling with the punches while being down on the floor.
So, how do we go about this year-end people? First, without surrendering to the fear, let us, at the very least, celebrate the Jumanji level that we have reached so far. We deserve whatever small celebration we can have. Better yet, we can share whatever blessings we have and pay everything forward. As a race, we all deserve that too. At the start of the pandemic during the early part of the year, a lot have stocked up, aptly yet, hoarded on a lot of essentials. With this year ending, let’s finish it by sharing. May our stocking up for 2021 prove to be more intelligent and not borne out selfish survival.
