IT IS quite unfortunate that we hear many incidents that add to our problems at this time of pandemic. Aside from the updates we hear about the Covid-19 which are too disturbing, there are also incidents related to the killings and other crimes in the city.
I wonder if this is an offshoot of the demoralization we experience as a society or something that is the definition of normality that we use to have even before this pandemic.
The supposed ideal one is that our society needs to retain its social balance even in its dynamic state. This means, its social institutions and processes are working because the people need it to survive. Our government for example is an institution, which has a share of its complex process that with no amount of reminder, they keep on doing their jobs in accordance with their mandate. Like the maintenance of peace and ensuring that our people are safe, we have the PNP which is a government institution.
In determining whether these institutions are functional, is to know whether they still contribute to the maintenance of the social order or not. When it is not functional, then we can expect its effect on the social balance of society that creates a social problem. By then, we could see the institutional dysfunctionalism even as people don’t actually notice it. In fact, many of our social problems had actually existed a long time ago and we noticed it when they become a complex problem.
There is an urgency that we wish our institutions could function particularly in this difficult time. But it seems that while we can see crimes and problems on Covid-19 displayed right in front of us, we cannot see how our institutions are moving to resolve these one by one. It is probably an indication that our institutions cannot go beyond the simple pursuits they have now because they are preoccupied with what they are doing.
It is a question if our institutions are truly concerned about everyone’s safety or anybody’s welfare while we are under this fight against the coronavirus. I wonder if our institutions are worried about the existence of the social order by way of making sure that they are doing their mandate for the people.
With killings and crimes left unresolved, I don’t know if one could view this as still healthy for our society. Try to imagine that for a span of time, solving them has become elusive until everything will be forgotten.
This reminds us that aside from the reality that Covid-19 will not end soon, our existence will also be uncertain due to the inevitable dynamics brought about by the present crisis. With the economy having problems in the next couple of months, we expect that peace and order would be a problem.
Our view on killings and other crimes as example is a way to look at whether our institutions are still on board or it is telling us to brace for an even dangerous society that we will have in the coming days.
If the threat of the coronavirus is imminent, the consequences of having dysfunctional institutions would even be disastrous.