CLASSROOM CLASSICS

The 10 People You Meet

in an Outbreak

By Patrick Jay P. Pangilinan

Mitch Albom's seminal book, The Five People You Meet in Heaven, is quite popular for people among us
who need to come to terms with rather difficult times in their lives, as the story delves on the insights
we can learn from knowing that our actions or inactions have a lasting impact on the lives of others we
encounter.

But we do not need to leave this current existence just yet to realize that the international public health
emergency that is COVID-19, gives us the opportunity to ponder on our impact (and vice versa) on the
lives of people that we meet in this ongoing outbreak. Here are some of them:

1. Frontliners/Essential Workers (including teachers)

Much have been said on the importance of these people. And that is the main reason why they come on
top of this list. Imagine a border checkpoint handled by incompetent or corrupt law enforcers; or an
understaffed supermarket; or a hospital tended by dillydallying physicians. Chaos would be an
understatement.

And let us not forget the anchor of this weekly column/opinion piece -- educators. They, too, are
deemed as essential workers, whether they are teaching under the curricula of Higher Education
Institutions or through the Department of Education's Most Essential Learninh Competencies. Imagine a
world where teachers lack the requisite patience and passion. It would not be difficult to foresee a
skewed state of learning.

So, if you meet these people, an appreciatory nod, would not be out of place.

2. Politicians

By politicians, let us agree to mean all of them, from whichever party/ideology or color they actually or
pretend to represent. The virus has not only shown how vulnerable many of our socio-economic
systems are. It has also unmasked the janus-faced among our State leaders and/or administrative
officials.

What to do when you meet them? If in person, the lessons from the school subjects, Good Manners and
Right Conduct and Edukasyon sa Pagpapakatao are still quite applicable. Otherwise, the elections are
not far from the horizon, and other legal remedies are just a few clicks away.

3. Influencers/Vloggers

With the advent of social media, these people have been as normal as masks and faceshields. They
showcase practically anything (plants, bulging busts, strained marital relationships) that could attract
and to some extent, entertain, subsribers or followers, usually through Facebook, Youtube, or
Instagram. These "entertaining" content commonly gives these people some sort of remuneration from
the aforesaid social media, depending on the number of views they generate.

And that is why when you meet them, whether virtually or physically, you may want to whisper a prayer
for better content.

4. Online sellers/Marketers

These are not really very different from the people in Number 3. They, too, resort to their version of
content to attract viewers, and, ultimately, buyers.

What makes them slightly more important than influencers/bloggers, however, is that many of them
offer basic commodities as an alternative to physical stores, which would otherwise not be accessible to
us, given the unpredictable quarantine rules.

As you meet them, at the least, just pay fairly. They need the funds, too.

5. Scammers/Thieves

At first thought, it would seem to be a surprise that thievery is still alive despite the outbreak. But, yes, it
is. They come in the form of the usual akyat-bahay team, the get-rich-quick callers, and the salisi people.
And let us not forget the occasions when some online sellers and politicians have crossed the line of
propriety to join these group.

In the off chance that you meet them, remember that self-defense and citizen's arrest are enshrined in
our country's laws.

6. Propagandists (masquerading as journalists)

While institutionalized propaganda from various governments has been part of our life since World War
II, it still comes as a suprise every so often to find that reputable news bearers would lend credence to
such unresonable slanted sets of data or information.

When you encounter these, you may change the channel or on social media, the unlike/unsubscribe
button is available.

7. WFH People

That is right. WFH stands for Work From Home. And people in this arrangement range from Business
Process Outsourcing (BPO) employees, to freelance internet marketing specialists. You may not
consciously know it, but they also help make our lives another level improved, and may have actually
“met” them through their accomplishments. BPO employees could be remotely fixing our WiFi routers,
and online marketing specialists could be managing or designing a strategy that would convince you to
attend a webinar or purchase a certain gadget.

8. Conspiracy Theorists

Please see Numbers 2, 3, 5, and 6. Remember the serpent in the Garden of Eden? It neither screamed
nor shouted at Eve. On the contrary, the inducement was veiled as wisdom of the heighest order. But
for those of us who are familiar with the Bible, the supposed wisdom, instead brought us relative doom.

Hence, if you meet them, no matter the music to your ears, remember that forked-tongue creature.

9. Fear mongers

Kindly refer to insights under Number 8.

10. Yourself

Finally, we come to you. The fact that you came this far in reading this, is a testament to your relative
diligence, patience, and love for reading. Please hang on to those. Probably the most important person
you need to meet in this outbreak is yourself. Are the deadlines pressing? Are the due dates even more
pressing?

Prayers, as earlier mentioned are of great help. Being with loved ones could also be reassuring.

And in the greater scheme of things, it is you, if you could take good care of yourself, who will primarily
matter and become a needed positive part of the whole, because as you meet people in this outbreak,
this adage would be key: "Love thy neighbor."