Vigilance and obedience can go together

The Concerned Artists of the Philippines (CAP) had come up last week with a Venn diagram outlining the duties of citizens in this time of pandemic. Recall high school math, a Venn diagram consists of multiple overlapping circles, each representing a set.

I was drawn to CAP’s diagram which they posted on social media because it was a clear illustration of ideal citizen and government interaction in this time of crisis.

The first set in a circle represents the need for citizens to follow the scientific guidelines laid down by government. These include physical distancing, handwashing and proper hygiene, not spreading fake news or unconfirmed reports, and taking good care of oneself and others.

The second set represents the need for citizens to be vigilant against any abuse of power. These include being critical against wrong policies, holding public officials accountable, exposing and opposing abuses, and contributing to fill any gaps or deficiencies in the fight against COVID-19.

The area where these two sets overlap shows that both sets of duties may correspond to each other and need not be conflicting duties.

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Singapore Minister for Foreign Affairs Vivian Balakrishnan was interviewed on CNBC’s Squawk Box last month about how Singapore handled the early stages of the coronavirus outbreak. Singapore, along with Taiwan and South Korea, has been lauded for its science-based and all-of-government approach to the crisis.

What is enlightening about this interview is that Minister Balakrishnan outlined the three most important elements that determine the preparedness of a country in dealing with a pandemic such as the COVID-19.

According to Mr. Balakrishnan, this crisis is an acid test of every single country’s quality of healthcare, standard of governance, and social capital. “And if any one of this tripod is weak, it will be exposed quite unmercifully by this epidemic,” he said. These are things, Balakrishnan added, that a country cannot just build up overnight. “It’s years and years of investment in people, in systems, in capacity.”

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While being cooped up at home due to the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ), I have been fighting the urge to be productive. (Though I live in a residential compound where there is enough space to stretch out and exercise or do some gardening and house repairs, space is relative and being cooped up is how I feel.)

By “productive” I mean those things that kept me busy and “useful” prior to the ECQ and which can still be done using a computer and the internet. Before the ECQ, I also did my own share of giving time and sending help to those in need, but that part is rather personal.

But really, if you are not a frontline health worker, a public servant, or any of those essential personnel exempted from the ECQ, there should be no guilt if you’re spending these past few weeks winding down from your work life and giving more time reflecting on your personal life. You should also take care of your mental well-being.

In my case, I have been doing a lot of reading on various topics I’m interested in. And so I came across this article by Professor Aisha S. Ahmad, an international security and crisis analyst, which she wrote online for The Chronicle of Higher Education entitled, “Why You Should Ignore All That Coronavirus-Inspired Productivity Pressure”.

Dr. Ahmad wrote that while it may feel good in the moment, it is foolish to dive into a frenzy of activity or obsess about one’s scholarly productivity right now. “That is denial and delusion. The emotionally and spiritually sane response is to prepare to be forever changed.”

I posted a link to the article on my social media page and a comment from my college buddy, graphic artist and multimedia designer Allen Alesna, sums up a key thought arising from this crisis.

Allen wrote: “Sometimes I think, one of the reasons why we're in this catastrophe is because of the very thought of 'productivity'. We're living a world so fast-paced, we're all chasing our tails. We've taken for granted the essentials. To stop and pause a while.”

“What happened in the markets of Wuhan is a microcosmic consequence of this pressure. Pushing the envelope regardless of results. We wanted exponential growth at all costs with complete disregard of what it's doing to us externally, as well as internally. We wanted it so bad, and so 'bad' is where we ended up to be.”