By ACC Delen
Complacence – defined by the Merriam Webster Dictionary as “calm or secure satisfaction with oneself or one’s lot; unconcern”.
This week, I left the confines of my suburban neighbourhood out of necessity. I needed to go to the Philippine Consulate in Shanghai to collect important documents; but that’s another story. It was on my way there and back that the word “complacence” kept hammering the back of my skull. It was like a “last song syndrome” whereby the last song you heard before leaving your house keeps playing in your mind in an endless loop. The ironic part was that, my observations on the road, in establishments, and most especially public transport such as the subway lines and the buses I took to get to my destination showed the opposite of complacence. Everyone was wearing a face mask! No one was complaining about the discomfort of foggy eyeglasses or the uncomfortable feeling of having a face mask obstructing ones breathing. People got on buses, busied themselves with their smart phones, and then got off with their masks securely in place.
Having recently come from the Philippines where repeated appeals for people to follow protocols, the least of which is to wear a face mask, fall on more than a few deaf ears, I could not help but marvel at what I have observed in my current setting. Compared to other countries, including my native land, where hundreds of thousands of people have already been infected by CoVid 19, the “few” cases we have in Shanghai would not even be considered a drop in a bucket. But, neither the government nor the people showed an ounce of complacence. As of this time, measures meant to prevent the spread of the virus have already gone in place. One can no longer enter malls, parks, and other public areas without showing a “green code”. Temperatures are constantly being checked and mass vaccination continue to be the goal for many areas, Shanghai included.
This is not to say that everyone is totally on the same page. Utopia, if indeed such a place exists, is yet to be discovered. For people who by virtue of their actions, endanger the greater community, face criminal liability. Why, just recently, a woman who flew in to Beijing from the U.S and had concealed being positive of the virus last March 2020 was sentenced to one year imprisonment as well as another year of probation. This was on top of getting fired from her job with BioGen. I don’t know about you but I know of a place where an apology would suffice, especially when the person concerned is a high ranking government official.
“Where does “complacence” fit in” one might ask. That’s the point…nowhere! In a country that has succeeded in curbing the number of CoVid 19 infections when many countries in the world still struggle with the upward trend of theirs, complacence has no place in the equation. Health protocols had remained in place. Things did not go back to the way they were before. Instead, society moulded itself to what the situation demands. So much so that at present, one feels naked leaving the house without a face mask on.
Though I am back to the comfort zone that my neighbourhood represents, I still think of the vigilance that I have witnessed on my day out in the city centre. We display the same vigilance in my area but seeing it in a much larger scale brings the point so much more empathically. As of this writing, a new rule discouraging visitors from entering our compound has just been posted by the entrance gate. Whether it is in response to the new cases reported or the incoming Spring Festival, we don’t really know. What we know for certain is that no one in our compound is complaining about it. Just like my neighbour who almost missed her bus to work because she had to go back home to get her face mask, we appreciate the gravity of the situation.
To end, whether it is due to political will or self-discipline, what I have seen and experienced on my day out in the city reminded me yet again that complacence could literally bring the death of us. If there ever is a time where complacence is not necessary, this is it.**
