Light in The Time of The Pandemic

LIGHT IN THE TIME OF THE PANDEMIC
Dalyn T. Pillada
The Coronavirus disease resulted to a 360-degree turn of events around the world. The pandemic killed
over two million people and infected over 98 million individuals. This infection disrupted the world’s normal
routines, restricted people’s movements, shutdown markets that resulted to job loss and closed academic
institutions, churches, transport sectors, malls, and other recreational places. As a result of all the lockdown and
restrictions, country’s economies had crashed, nations in chaos and people, especially the Filipinos, lived in fear and
hunger.
This global health emergency has no doubt challenged and dismantled every individual, every nation and
the world. It will surely be marked in the history as one of the biggest disasters in the 21st century. However, have
you ever thought of this pandemic as a positive milestone an awakening smack?
Yes, indeed, it is a very painful smack… because we all need to wake up. We are all too immersed in chasing
our goals, seeking our happiness and fulfilling our greed that we neglect our duties as stewards of the Earth. We
became selfish beasts that abuse the environment, destroy the habitats of other organisms and threaten their
existence. We forgot that everything in nature is interconnected thus, the smallest invisible part of nature – the
virus – has reminded us. Indeed, the COVID 19-induced lockdown put the planet at rest and allowed nature to heal
itself. With limited human interactions, the wildlife rumbles out liberated which is manifested by the reported
sightings of animals on once human-occupied spaces. Furthermore, the decrease on transport vehicles and shut
down of factories and industries have also resulted to significant environmental benefits. Various articles and
scientific studies tackle the recovery of the Earth’s ozone layer shown by increased Ozone (O3) concentration;
intense decline in concentration of particulate matter, nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and carbon dioxide (CO2); and 40-
50% improvement observed in the water quality.
Secondly, as social beings, we are consumed by flesh, by worldly desires and happiness that we took
everything for granted – genuine relationships, our health and ourselves. This plague urged us to have real, genuine
moments with our loved ones and family that we lost during pre-pandemic busy schedules. In this time of crisis, we
are able to determine true friendships. We set aside our selfish nature and start being part of a community that
helps each other to overcome adversities. More importantly, because of the lockdown, our risky vices were
restricted by liquor bans and our exposure to toxic elements were minimized. Moreover, due to health threat, we
started to pay more attention to ourselves. We are stirred to focus on being healthy through exercising and eating
nutritious food and embrace healthy lifestyle, practice better hygiene because it had become a skill we now need
for survival.
Lastly, COVID 19 definitely had a significant effect on our sense of being. This pandemic made us understand
what really matters and recognize what we have. We’ve never been too grateful for our lives before, but now,
waking up everyday has become a blessing because of all the reported deaths worldwide. This COVID 19-induced
lockdown has also become the time of personal development through solitude and meditations that gave us time
to think critically, opening new perspectives. There are a lot of individuals who found their creativity during
lockdown and paved the way towards great opportunities for them. Eventually, the most valuable gift of this
pandemic is time--time to build ourselves and develop a positive attitude.
This traumatic scourge seems to be too dark, but it’s never erroneous to see its silver lining. It’s not about
the over-used resilience of the Filipinos, it’s about new perspective. The perspective that urges us not to let
ourselves be swallowed by anxiousness but to create a space for positivity and change within ourselves and
community.
So, would we let this 360-degree turn disable us with the slowing world? Or would we allow its lessons to
educate us to keep going and equip ourselves in taking part on making a better world?

Light in The Time of The Pandemic

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LIGHT IN THE TIME OF THE PANDEMIC

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