So it’s March 2020 all over again. Social media is full of memes reminding us of the early pandemic days with Dalgona coffee, ube pandesal, ECQ passes, and that Savage Love Tiktok. It’s very predictably Filipino, considering our signature coping mechanisms: humor and forced resilience. We try to make light of situations to make them a little more bearable since we have no other option. But it’s been a year and things are only getting worse. Shouldn’t we be angry?
It’s interesting how we started using the term “new normal” back when the pandemic just began. Very early on, we really used the word “normal” for the situation, meaning we didn’t see this as a glitch or a bump in the road, which would be over soon. It was as though from the very beginning, we just accepted that things would be like this for a long time—from the social distancing, personal protective equipment, and staying at home, to the deaths, packed hospitals, and exhausted frontliners.
I’m not sure what that implied: maybe we didn’t believe that whoever’s in charge could handle this, or maybe we just understood and accepted how bad the virus is. Who knows?
But words change mindsets. The terms we use affect the way we feel and how we interact with people. For instance, we become more respectful when we call people ate or kuya although we don’t really notice it. We also become more optimistic when we use positive words. When we say things so many times, we eventually start believing them. There is endless neuroscience research backing this up.
In our case, maybe using “normal” for the pandemic did us more harm, making us a bit more passive about the whole situation? Maybe it’s why we tolerated this and prayed for a miracle vaccine to arrive. Indeed, we became more passive over time and it makes no logical sense: this time last year back when active cases were below 100, we strictly stayed home, intensely disinfected everything, and properly wore masks.
But recently we’ve had over 9,000 Covid-19 cases per day. We have over 100,000 active cases as of this writing, along with packed hospitals, insufficient vaccines, and the virus reaching people closer and closer to us. All this, yet we go out more, order more deliveries online, and wear our masks below our chins. Meanwhile, our frontliners and healthcare workers struggle yet fight on for us, as we grow more complacent. Where was the respect we had for them last year? The virus should not have to directly affect us or those we love before we become more careful. If we stick to that mindset, it’s only a matter of time before the virus actually directly affects us. And by that time, it’s too late to be careful.
Some like to argue that according to the Department of Health, most cases are asymptomatic anyway and only around 2 percent of people die. But 2 percent of our over 700,000 cases is at least 13,000 deaths. That’s not even including those who suffer post-virus complications. These are real people with families and friends and stories and dreams. They are not just statistics or growing numbers on DOH infographics: they are real 13,000 plus people. And their families can’t even conduct a proper funeral. What kind of normal is this? Shouldn’t we be angry?
It’s not just the deaths too. Children are missing out on important developmental interaction. Students are prevented from experiencing physical graduations after working so hard for years. Weddings, debuts, and anniversaries, all gone. So many milestones were taken away by this pandemic. Why are we letting this be our new “normal”?
The convenience and brief happiness of violating protocols and going outside are tempting, but whatever bliss we feel cause more harm than good. It’s good for the mental health to go out once in a while, and that isn’t up for debate, but when it’s done so frequently and with reckless disregard of the consequences, these things just prolong this pandemic. Let’s do our part by staying home, minimizing physical interactions, and properly wearing the dreaded masks and other protective equipment. Sure, vaccines are arriving, but several doses are required, and there is no guarantee that every single one of us will receive it soon—and with a timely second dose.
Also, it’s okay to be angry with how things are being handled. Politics is always a dangerous subject, since whatever opinion is given, however honest and impartial, we are vulnerable to attacks and placed in one of two opposing sides. But this pandemic isn’t a team sport where we have to pick a side and win over the other. It’s a pandemic —we are all losers. So it’s okay to be angry. The only people who aren’t angry right now are those profiting from this situation. So if you’re not angry, that says a lot. It’s more difficult for one regular citizen to change the situation, as compared with someone in power, but for now there’s one thing we can do besides complying with health protocols: register to vote for the upcoming elections. Opinions do have an impact, but during elections, ballots are worth more. In the meantime, let’s do our part by staying isolated, wearing our masks properly, and keeping the conversation going. This does not have to be our normal.
Special thanks to Jasmin Montenegro.
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