A DAY IN MY LIFE (in the house)

 

THE PANDEMIC EFFECT

Pandemic in different era are deadly that ravaged the humanity, killing the world's great number of population – no age, gender and rich. Among them were the Spanish flue, the Plague, Yellow fever, AIDS and now COVID-19. People who survived from the past pandemic told their accounts that we know today, and you will come to think how the people from the past who had no advance technology dealt the pandemic.  And the pandemic today is like past famine in our old times that starved many families.

The pandemic that we have seen in our very eyes is trauma/nightmare that will haunt us.  The many faces we see, covers with facemask to filter the air we breathe – is the picture of pandemic.  The faces behind the mask, the sad stories of orphaned, the tired front liners, the scared people, and the infected – they are the faces of pandemic.  I was infected, and while completing my quarantine in the isolation room, it seemed that there is a wide white screen in my room flashing the scenes from the outside world that flash one by one.  Different scenes: people in need of oxygen tank, the sufferings of the intubated people, the frightening rising number of cases, and the death tally.  There are the difficult, painful and inspiring struggles of the survivors, the victory of recoveries, the dropping of stocks at closing, and the most sought search of the cure – these are the pressing stories on the top of our head.

We’ve been gone a long way.  Mutation repeats.  Omicron overpowered Delta variant.  I really don’t know where I got covid but one thing for sure, I don’t blame to whom and how I got it because I’m somehow feeling guilty if I have infected others.  Throughout the heights of covid, I have been carefully behind my facemask whenever I am out with other people but the thing is, it is inevitable and yet we need to meet people.  For one thing it is good that I am fully vaccinated when I contracted covid, should it happen a year ago could be different journey.  While isolated and quarantined, one of my realizations is the span of life.  In the last two years, many of our relatives and people we know have taken from us.  We are now in time that to live up to this date is blessing.

There are so many memories happened. Times may have passed but there are many signs that will remind us of the pandemic. The facemask will remind us of the pandemic we went through. The symbolic face of pandemic is the facemask.  It symbolizes what has happened to us. It signifies our desire and eagerness to live, it metaphors our shield to battle and survive, a tiny piece of cloth that filters the air we breathe, serves the thin wall that blocks us from invincible foe.  Our generation is the living witness of this great pandemic. Every one of us has the first-hand accounts, testament, experience and story to tell to our children up to the children of our children.  Ten or fifteen years from now, we will tell them what they have read in their textbook in their school.  It will be nice story-telling what we did to survive.

Today, the world is still battling COVID-19 to end or contain the very least. We have witnessed when the whole world stopped, silenced and mourned because of COVID. We have witnessed how life is in a pandemic. We have experienced the sadness and fear how to survive. We became familiar with mental health and witnessed the politics in pandemic. Many things were set-aside to deal the pandemic. Many have lost their jobs, loved ones, hope, and future. It made billion of money lost. As of today, it has recorded 320 million cases with over 5 million deaths worldwide.  The effect of this pandemic is huge and lifetime. Many have changed their life to adapt the effect of pandemic. Our plans are align with it.  But in all of this, did the pandemic effects people to make them kind?  We have come to this far, we should have our take away how the pandemic affects our life.

WRITING ARTICLES

Journalism, in the fields of print, news, columns, and arts journalism, was my first serious ambition.  When I had realized that I have what it takes to write, I then started gathering stuffs to come up stories that are happening around us.  I see myself researching, developing, and editing news pieces.  I even visualized my stories being read in the broadcast news.  Although the dream did not mean to happen and I may not a journalist by profession but I say I am a journalist by heart.

Journalism is telling to individuals what is really happening around.  Its heart and soul is anchor to freedom of expression.  Its manta is truth.  Its main core is authenticity, be it painful truth or not.  It is not criticizing, it is not destructing, and it is not opposing.  Being critics is not antagonism or just being skeptic.  It is just role playing.   If you are purely doctor, architect, engineer, or any other subject matter experts, then you will not understand the battle cry of a journalist, you will not understand the purpose of writing, you will not understand the standard of writing because you do not have the pure heart of a journalist.  You will not understand what I am going through why I get upset with opportunist writers in the person of propagandists and why I admire when journalists were awarded the Nobel Prize, which is affirming the values of writing and validation of every inch of truthfulness in the heart of the journalists.

In 1998, I joined in Gintong Palanca Literary contest under short story category.  “Mag-ama” is a story of Isagani who is a frustrated journalist who wanted to bring the newspaper to his rural town so that his neighbor and community will be equipped with information.  Isagani is me who also want to become journalist to deliver the truth because the truth, no matter what, shall prevail at all times.   The power of writing is mightier than sword or any bullet, be it true or lies, therefore truth is responsibility because at the end of the day, painful truth is better than sugar coating lies.  It is not depend on your truth because it is not about your honesty, but it is about the universal truth.  This is the mere reason why I am so upset with the peddlers of lies proliferating fake news – they are evil.

Should their writings are coinciding to their interest that siding to a party they are lucratively earning for a living, again it is the universal truth that should prevail and matter, not their owns.  Theirs is in-disguise in the freedom of expression and right of self opinion, but again it is not about their honesty that serves for themselves but it is the common truth that benefits the majority.  Yes, the paid propagandists write and so I do, and should someone against my mantra have stood up and said I am worse than these paid trolls because trolls just write for pay while I write for my truth which is false for them, I will not agree and will never accept me as worse than paid propagandists. It is the interest that makes different.  I will not agree I am worse than those people who are just writing where they are paid for, because my intention is pure, unbiased and priceless.  They are prostituting the journalism.  Comparing me with paid propagandists is insult to my credibility, personality and skill which is not for sale.  If receiving hefty sum and making lucrative profit in exchange of your skill to write turmoil, chaos, and uproar, regardless if it is true, then that is not right.  Like I said, I am a journalist by heart and with that being said, I must write on the true essence of truth, no prejudice, and committed to preserve the dignity of art of writing.