The good side of COVID-19

This is a public confession of sorts. It’s my reaction to an international cable television sitcom that featured the psychological impact and emotional trauma of coronavirus pandemic upon individuals separately and on communities. The participants in the show, highly-respected professionals, sounded negative, maybe depressed, even in their tautological dissertations. While I admit to pale in comparison to their learned status, I dare to step forward. To start, let me say that I’m an incorrigible optimist, always have been. In my share of depressing times, I always try to look for a bright side of the equation and, by golly, pursue it relentlessly. To me there’s always a silver lining even in the most tempestuous of clouds.

Perhaps (yes, I still insist to use this word) mankind may not have seen a more devastating tragedy than the coronavirus this century. This pandemic has claimed the lives of hundreds of thousands worldwide and the gruesome upward spiral in statistics is far from over. The virus has destroyed transnational economics. Yet, I want to say that there are positive things that can somehow countervail the calamitous effects of this Wuhan-originated disease. Here is a word of caution, though. The following observations are my personal perceptions only. These aren’t the result of scientific studies. The chances of error are high and I hold myself responsible for what I say.

One, the quarantine which was imposed throughout the country since more than four months ago ground a great part of our vehicular traffic to a halt. In the early part of Enhanced Community Quarantine, no vehicles were allowed to travel except few identifiable units which were permitted out of necessity. As a result, we experienced no more traffic jams. Our streets were almost completely deserted as they have been for most part of quarantine months. People locked their cars in the garage. Public utility vehicles were not permitted to ply their routes. Both car owners and public transport operators didn’t even care to run their engines. As an immediate consequence, no gas fumes like carbon dioxide were thrown to the air. We had a less-polluted atmosphere. In fact, a survey conducted few weeks ago by a scientific group revealed that our environment has significantly improved.

Two. Consider the following circumstances. First, we were forced to stay home what with military men armed with rifles patrolling our streets. Second, unlike when attending regular job where routine office work is listed, there were no programmed chores to do at home. Third, our food supply continued to dwindle. Most of us then began to look for things to work on. For some of us, growing vegetable in pots became our daily schedule. I know of some families now harvesting pechay, eggplant and ampalaya from their home gardens. Others started to develop new skills with which to replace lost earnings. Baking cakes, making dresses, fabricating furniture top the line of assorted work advertised in the internet. There are indeed great, helpful, and useful talents people are discovering.

Three. Best of all, family members once so drawn to their individual callings as to become strangers to one another have found time to bond. COVID-19 has, quite uniquely, forced them to stay home, share food on one dining table, laugh at one another’s joke and pray together. What positive gifts this virus has given us!