I encountered a very short tale about a babe serpent that was so frightened, it nervously asked its mother: “Mom, I bit my tongue! Are we poisonous?”
That anecdote reminded me how nowadays, fear has become so ubiquitous. In the Bible, especially in Luke 21, 25-28, 34-36, Jesus talks about people dying of terror in anticipation of the chilling and frightening calamitous events that are “expected” to happen in the world at the “end of times.” But instead of concentrating on the disconcerting signs and inconceivable travails up ahead, Jesus reminds us to “stand erect and raise your heads because your redemption is at hand.”
World Health Organization statistics show that as of Dec. 1, 2021, there have been 262,178,403 confirmed cases of CoViD-19 all over the world and from those cases, there had been 5,215,745 deaths. The numbers haven’t plummeted and the fear continues to rise.
Additionally, it isn’t just a global health emergency, the CoViD-19 pandemic has manifold socio- economic and psychological consequences. Research and media reports reveal a rise in fears related to contracting the virus.
And while fear is a common psychological outcome during plagues, the CoViD-19 contagion is a constantly evolving disease outbreak which has unique risk factors.
Thus, fear related to CoViD-19 manifests in not only dread and disquiet associated with getting the disease and dying, but also linked to socio-occupational stress which compounds the distress and the panic.
In the months to come, Dumaguetnon voters (same all over the country) will resolve whether they want stability, change, or a combination of these two things. The stakes are high, with thousands of people still dealing with high daily CoViD cases and a slow vaccination rollout, along with a disfigured economy just emerging from last year’s slump.
The election will clarify which direction Filipinos want to steer the country’s democracy — towards further erosion, a return to liberal reform, or perhaps a more middle-of-the-road approach. It’s a decisive election for the country at a critical time. This kind of scenario breeds anxiety and fear in the hearts of many.
Around the world, more than enough food is produced to feed the global population–however, as many as 811 million people still go hungry. World hunger is still on the rise, affecting 9.9 percent of people globally.
From 2019 to 2020, the number of undernourished people grew by as many as 161 million, a crisis driven largely by conflict, climate change, and the CoViD-19 pandemic. This is another source of unending fear.
After the election, will the 174-hectare reclamation issue continue to hound the people? Will environment advocates need to go back to the streets and clamor once again? Will fisherfolks and the other marginalized sectors of Dumaguete society once more feel the dread of being stripped of their meager livelihood and their homes?
As a people, and as a nation, let us not give up our hope that a new breed of leaders can still rise and shine in our land. Let us not be cynical about true service, goodness, and sacrifice from our public servants. Let us not lose heart, and we must not give in to dirty and filthy politics. Let us all work hard for our dreams, and keep on believing that dreams do come true, and that miracles can still happen.
Now is the time for hope, not fear. May our hopes not be stunned by our fears. Let us choose to make our hopes bigger than our fears. Let us all be whisperers of hope in our world so filled with worries and misgivings, futility, and skepticism.
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