DURING these times, I would venture to define minimal as acquiring only what we need and contingent, and doing away with what we want.
If ever there is something that we learned in this health crisis situation, it is to be minimal. We may think of minimal as insignificant, but under this pandemic, nothing is insignificant.
We learned to make the most minimum move, while before, we traveled without regard to fuel consumption. “Since we are already here, let us go farther north.” This narrative was the previous norm.
When it is becoming uncertain when we will get our jobs back, we now take into consideration the high cost of fuel. Our trips to the supermarket used to be unscheduled. It only depended on when we were running out of supplies. Now, we schedule our marketing at least to twice a month.
With billions of the world’s population out of work, we do online shopping instead of making a trip to the department stores to shop.
With minimal income, food served on the table is more nutritious since we now count the calories instead of the number of dishes, most of which are loaded with a lot of cholesterol.
One area that needs minimum time is the use of social media. What percentage of usage of social media accounts is productive? While we respect each other’s opinion, comments that are counterproductive do not help our health crisis. The issue on the vaccine has confused Juan de la Cruz, whose limited literacy simply wants these simple questions answered: “How much does it really cost?” and “Will I get sick after the vaccine?” Vaccination issues have even polarized the nation after it has been politicized.
I would also define minimal as a limitation. Yes, let us limit our commentaries based only on scientific evidence. According to one health expert, when one person is already asymptomatic with Covid-19, and then gets vaccinated, there is a greater risk. It is better to get a swab test first and have the result handy prior to getting vaccinated. Does that make sense?
I said nothing is insignificant under our current dilemma; every little act of kindness and compassion translate to a bigger contribution to society at large.
Newly installed President of the United States Joseph Biden said, “Some days we need a hand; some days we lend a hand.” A line from the poem recited by Amanda Gorman during the inauguration of Biden expressed what we need under the current crisis: “not what stands between us but what stands before us.”