Make no mistake, we are in World War III. This is not one country against another but all of us against the big invisible enemy. The one that cannot be seen with night vision goggles. The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the majority of human population on the planet in one way or the other. The first responders, medical community, law enforcement officers are the heroes, call them the military or armed forces ..they are the ones fighting the enemy. They are battling on the frontlines, treating and helping the covid-19 affected patients in the ICUs and hospitals around the world. And the rest of us if you are not on the front line, you are a civilian.
Ten Ways Civilians can Help
(1) STOP Complaining: If you identify yourself as a civilian and you are not hit by the virus, you are NOT the one suffering. We are the people who have the safety of our homes, while those on the frontline save lives, putting themselves at risk. Memes and forwards have been flooding the social media and clearly folks are having a hard time managing to work remotely, keeping the kids occupied, keeping sane and get essential groceries. But hold on, all your troubles are nothing compared to the people on the front line.
(2) Rally behind those who can build medical supplies NOW... If you know a business that can manufacture the much needed equipment or gear that the medical community needs, this is the biggest crisis of the hour. We have spent billions on our defense budgets over the years.. this is no different and needs attention immediately. How can the heroes help save lives if they cannot protect their own lives. Period! So whether you are a business owner, a government leader, an influencer, a celebrity, a millionaire or a billionaire.. act NOW to use your influence to get the much needed masks, respirators, gowns and kits to the medical community asap.
(3) Support the researchers trying to find a cure ~ If you know a researcher or you are in a position to support one, this is the only way this war will end. We can control the spread but we need an answer for those who are already impacted.
(4) Stay Home - Buy online so you can limit your trips to the grocery and unless your job is essential, please stay home. Let me say it again, STAY HOME even if you do not have symptoms. That is the only way to flatten the curve as you may have heard at least a 100 times this week.
(5) Conserve food and resources purchased already ~ While you may have the capacity to buy as much as you wish, many resources and essentials are getting out of stock. So conserve it so you don't need to replenish it soon. Someone else who needs it can get the essentials and grocery, if you are not sweeping things off the shelves.
(6) Spread useful and verified information. Don't spread panic. If you have information from reliable sources that is helpful, please share. We are flooded with memes and humor so it would help if folks can tag their posts as HUMOR or INFO. This way people who need a light hearted moment can view the humor videos and the others who are looking only for info can view that.
(7) Don't worry about your child's distance learning: The biggest education you can give your child now, is how we deal with this global crisis. Help them see things in perspective. How they can view themselves as lucky because they have a home, food and are safe. Help teach them to conserve resources. The educators will figure out distance learning. This is not what parents need to do. This is the time for parents to speak kind words to their children, reassure them and help them build the grit to handle the stress that this unprecedented crisis has unleashed on the world.
(8) Stop binge eating NOW~ When isolation first started for all of us, I took my diet seriously and lost a few pounds. However, when the first death was announced in our school district, it had me stressed out that and I unknowingly started eating for 10 minutes. When things hit close, there will be stress. Find other avenues to reduce stress. Whether it is prayer, meditation, reading, exercising, organizing, boost your immunity, and pick up a new skill. Anything that is a stress buster for you.. just do it.
(9) Stop Conspiracy Theorizing : It's not going to help. We need a solution to the problem right now.
(10) Do not question your faith. This month is a perfect opportunity for all the naysayers to ask .. Where is God? As we see the death tolls rising in US cities, coffins piling in Italy, the Pope himself tearful ..and all religious gatherings and prayer services cancelled.... even the faithful could pause and ask the question.. where are you God? Please rescue us from this epidemic. And yet, God is in our midst. As we have always known.. God lives inside each one of us.. God appears in the form of humans.. None of this is new... Look around and you will find God. Our medical workers who forge ahead with limited equipment and try to rescue lives, putting their own lives in danger. God lives in them. In our good reporters who seek to spread information and not panic. In our medical researchers who are racing against time to find a cure. And the Satan lives around too. In the form of hoarders who have hoarded medical equipment and sanitizers in the hope of making a quick buck. In the form of fear mongers who are seeking to spread chaos and sensationalism.
This is the time our faith must be strong. Just like in the battlefield, we have to fight this enemy. When Mother Theresa went to the leprosy stricken areas of Calcutta, the disease did not affect her. Leprosy was a very contagious disease but she helped the sick and the suffering and it was a miracle that she did not get affected. She was proclaimed as the living saint. May the medical workers of today, also be protected from Covid-19 the same way.
We must keep ourselves sane during this tryst. As we traverse through this super stressful time, and remote workers all over the world battle with keeping their sanity within the walls of their home, pause for a second... we are civilians... and the people on the front-line need us all to rally behind them.
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