“ONCE THERE WAS A PANDEMIC”

Unexpected. A single word I can describe is how the COVID-19 pandemic has

brought so much impact on us. We experienced a global crisis not only on health but

also in many parts of our society. It is not easy to go through this crisis, and it has never

been easy for anyone else. In today’s generation, staying at home, keeping your

immune system and body healthy, avoiding social interactions is the key to survive.

People are dying. Getting infected by the virus puts your life at risk. Doctors, nurses,

medical frontlines, and other public-facing jobs are our today’s heroes. They sacrificed

their lives to save their family and other people’s lives. However, the crisis does not end

there. Because of the pandemic, many people lost their means to finance their lifestyle,

and other businesses have been taken down due to bankruptcy.

The after-school hangouts and eating street foods with friends, the noise of

highways during peak or rush hours, traffic, and crowded places without the necessity to

wear face masks and shields. Those are some of the events that the unseen threats

had taken away from us. However, despite the negative effect of this pandemic, it also

has a positive impact, in a way that there are families who were not close with each

other before, got the chance to bond and became closer.

I realized that during this pandemic, despite the difficulties, always keep an

optimistic attitude, that we would overcome this crisis by viewing each obstacle as a

chance to further serve others. And always remember that the power of God protects us

because God sends the storm to show that He is the only shelter. In this new normal

system, let us start accepting that the world is bigger than what is right in front of us.