If each one of us were asked what are the COVID-19 essentials, right off the bat, we will reply: physical distancing, handwashing, disinfecting, face masks and shields, soap, at least 60% alcohol, cleaning disinfectants, ventilators, etc. Today, as we start this “new normal” school year, I dare to add two to the list:
- First, borrowing the words of St. Josemaria, “Christian Optimism,” and
Second, “Resilience“
These two are as essential a commodity (or you might say protocol) during the current pandemic. Moreover, they are key weapons in this global fight, needed to characterize each of our life choices.
Christian optimism means to have this life perspective: God is in the chaos of this COVID-19 outbreak. He is in control even in this unprecedented crisis. And He is not only on our side; He is by our side at all moments.
True optimism means choosing to look for the up-side in any situation we face. It requires training ourselves to see the silver lining in being cooped up in our homes, in having an almost nil social life as far as our friends are concerned, in feeling isolated with the remote leaning set-up due to a lack of face-to-face interaction with teachers and classmates.
On the other hand, when speaking of resilience, the image that comes to mind is of “rubber ducks bobbing to the surface instantly after they’ve been pushed under” (Rosemary Goring). To be resilient means to be a “crisis survivor,” or better still to be a “crisis victor.”
Filipino artist SaintAngelo Lucero came up with an artwork inspired by the COVID-19 pandemic calling Filipinos to “LET THEMSELVES BLOOM EVEN IN TOUGH SITUATIONS.”
This is what resilience is all about. When there are thousands of defeatist voices inside us telling us to wither away, to cave in, or to throw up our arms in despair, let us choose to be the best version of ourselves to embody the triumph of the spirit, or as artist SaintAngelo Lucero said, “to bloom” in these tough times of community quarantine, physical distancing, and remote teaching and learning.
There is this Hebrew phrase tikkun olam which translates to “repairing or healing the world” not with large scale projects or major inventions but with each one of us putting the world back together, making it a better place to live in – a little at a time, every single day – through our moral choices and actions.
Our tikkun olam in this global pandemic is to choose optimism over defeatism, resilience over helplessness, moment by moment, day by day, approaching life and each remote learning session during this global pandemic with a winning mindset.
Here’s to a productive SY 2020-21!
Maria Gina R. Rama, Ed.D.
Executive Director