Some Random Thoughts: Day 20 of Lockdown

It’s been 20 days since the start of the government mandated enhanced community quarantine (ECQ). To my surprise, I have somehow managed to survive the daily battles of being locked down in our house. Thankfully, the enforced isolation has forced me how to make the most of the idle time afforded by the pandemic, COVID19. Some insights have come to the fore, namely:

1. Love life. Instead of dreading the lockdown, embrace it. Avoid the temptation of complaining to yourself, which would lead to dreading each day that comes. The whole of humanity is besieged in an epic war where the enemy is unseen by human eyes. Indeed, the virus has wreaked havoc across the globe, causing worldwide hysteria and fear. This great pandemic will go down in history as probably the worst ever on account of the wide swath of its contagion.
2. Sit back, relax and savor the precious abundance of time brought about by ECQ. After all, this is a once-in-a-lifetime sabbatical opportunity. 
3. A modern day saint, St. Josemaría Escriva, said, whilst in hiding in a consulate for a prolonged period of six months in a small room during the Spanish civil war of 1936, he would program his daily agenda on how to grow in the inside. Simply put, it would be good to structure a daily plan that would foster a holistic approach in developing the spiritual, intellectual and physical health needs of the individual. 
4. Thanks to the wonders of technology, all of us have access to any kind of resources that one would wish to tap. Because of the lockdown, there’s a deluge of online masses, watch parties on the holy rosary, free operas and ballets from the world famous institutes, etc.. Social networks have never been so busy as now that people are trying to keep in contact with family and friends through vibre, what’s app, facebook, zoom, etc..

As the days move on, people discover little by little some nuggets of beauty amidst the darkness of the pandemic. Medical frontliners are now being honored as the heroes. Likewise, the ordinary workers, who were heretofore ignored or taken for granted by society, are now much appreciated by the quarantined community. To this day, these are the small victories that fill my waking hours with joy and optimism.

With the Holy Week approaching this Sunday, I am given consolation by the passage:

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid.“

John 14:27

TalinMan