The oft repeated warning that we are not yet out of the woods is very true with respect to Covid-19. Better still, for us where calamities always happen, we should develop the attitude that we are never out of the woods.
Either we are facing a pandemic, or an epidemic. Then there is that yea-round problem—malnutrition due to poverty.
We also have to consider our seasonal scourge like typhoons– causing floods, landslides and other vagaries caused by too much downpour.
But before that, there is the dry season which is hell for our farmers. Most of them have to borrow money at usurious interest to acquire farm inputs during the planting season, only for their crops to get wilted when the El Nino phenomenon occurs.
Indeed, we are never out of the woods. Those who have become adults for a number of years might have seen already that we cannot rely on government most of the time, if not, all of the time.
That means we have to rely on ourselves, close friends, relatives and other associates.
This is where we have to harness the power of the social media. During emergencies such as when you or your family get infected by Covid-19, reach out for help through the social media and advices, material donations, doctors’ services might come pouring in, possibly, even to an extent you could not handle.
When you call for help, do it with efficiency in mind.
A simple example: If your whole family have to isolate in your house and nobody can go out, so many would be willing to bring whatever they could to satisfy some of your needs. The problem though is so many just might bring one item of vegetables but no rice or fruits. You might end up having a mountain of potatoes but nothing more. That would be a disaster in itself, though of the better kind.
So for efficiency, it would not hurt to itemize what you badly need.
In sum, while we often curse the social media due to misuse by irresponsible characters, its potential to enable us to get through emergencies cannot be overemphasized. These can, in general, also make our lives a lot better.**