THIS social climate is slowly wearing us down.
Extended house arrest—and the fallout from applying that on a national level—has managed to fray the populations’ nerves raw, and it shows. I had my mom complain that everywhere she looked, it was bad news upon bad news being retweeted, shared, and copy-pasted ad infinitum. I understand that the gravity of the situation leads to grim tidings (we are in the middle of a once-in-a-century pandemic), but to only see doom, death, and despair posted everywhere you look does a number on one’s spirit.
I’ve tried to “social distance” myself from media because of that. Most people I know have become extra snippy, and it shows with how they express themselves in whatever platforms they can. They have a point—in these trying times, when we see the ones in charge hitting nothing but air as they step up to the plate, it’s natural to wring our hands in disappointment and lash out in fury (however potent or impotent that is) over the way things can and should be handled instead.
I’m not denigrating or downplaying their reactions. I just feel that, with enough problems on our hands, maybe adding another one to the ten thousand issues we have with existence will do us more harm than good? I’m of the belief that we need to choose our battles; we do not have enough energy to crusade for every single injustice in this world.
That’s why I advocate to try to change what we can with our limited influence. Can we storm the halls of the presidential palace and state our demands? I think only a few of us can. But if we look around and see what we can do for others, maybe the darkness in our minds and in front of our eyes will diminish a bit for a glimmer of hope to peek through. All the feel-good posts of #blessed and #gratefulness can only bring us so far—I’m talking about real work to do good in this situation. It doesn’t have to mean monetary help, for those who are financially strapped. How much does it cost you to call a friend and reassure him/her that you’ll be there during this time? How much does it cost to tip your Grab Driver extra and tell him you appreciate his sacrifice during this time? What about networking people who actually have the capacity and willingness to do something to aid the frontliners? It won’t be as effective as a vaccine, but good enough is better than perfect if it means being good enough meant that some action was taken.
So don’t just hate, create. It’s okay to cry out about injustices because it means we’re thinking critically. But be sure to balance that with actual, tangible change lest we become bitter and disillusioned by the world.
What are you trying to change?