There are many lessons the COVID-19 pandemic is teaching us. Social media is replete with messages and memes of all these lessons. But among them, there are two lessons that are very relevant to us Filipinos.
The first is the need to do things very well and not just well. We must learn to work excellently. This virus is ruthless. If a health worker just forgets to sterilize her hands once and she touches her nose, the virus enters her body and she gets infected. If an infected person neglects to wear a face mask and sneezes without covering his face, millions of microscopic water droplets are launched into the air and can infect the people around him. And so, we must always act and work correctly. One mistake is enough to get sick of COVID-19. And it is always a matter of life and death. We just must get rid of the attitude of “pwede na ’yan!”
The second lesson is, we must all work together to fight this pandemic. The analogy of waging a war against this virus is very appropriate because it indeed is a war. A war is usually won because of two factors: One, the generals are good leaders, they make the right strategies, and they might even be in the field leading their men in battle; and two, the soldiers execute the battle plan very well, heroically facing the enemy and fighting with all their might. Again, here we see the importance of the first lesson: To win the war, both general and soldier must do their respective jobs very well.
We need good leaders. Leadership requires vision, wisdom, courage, decision, and tenacity. No foot soldier will be inspired to fight a battle if he sees his general acting in a cowardly and indecisive manner. The general must lead his soldiers to fight until the end. He must know his men, the enemy, the terrain, the capabilities and weaknesses of the enemy and of his army, and many more things. He must be learned and wise to make the right decisions, and fast. Just a moment’s delay in deciding, even if the decision were the right one, can mean defeat.
In this fight against the virus, our leaders must learn from the good practices of the countries that have somehow won the battle against COVID-19, and apply them to our concrete circumstances.
But we also need good soldiers in this war. Stories abound about soldiers performing heroic deeds to turn the tide of the battle they were fighting. They might have died or survived, but their countries recognize their heroism by rewarding them with recognition and medals. The countries that have reported wins against this virus tell us that one factor that made them achieve this is the effective cooperation of the citizens with their leaders’ directives and policies. In this battle, every citizen is a soldier who must be heroic to win his or her own personal battle against the virus.
And it is not only the virus we should worry about. We must also think about surviving the social and financial effects of this pandemic. We are all in this together. I have been reading a diary written by a journalist from Wuhan about how that city coped with the fight against the virus. She reported that many people survived the crisis because of the thousands of young people who volunteered to help others in their needs. She said she is confident in the future of her country because of what she saw the young people do.
The government has a role to play and that role is very important. But the government cannot do everything. We should think: Can I do something to help others? If yes, then go and do it.
Fr. Cecilio Magsino
cesmagsino@gmail.com