Skeptic to Panic
I still remember when the novel coronavirus first came to light in December 2019 and I thought to myself this is just another episode of disease outbreak that would be contained eventually but nothing could be further from the truth. I suspect I’m not the only one who shares the same sentiment for being a skeptic when experts says the virus is here to stay but it did.
Everything we do before a pandemic will seem alarmist. Everything we do after a pandemic will seem inadequate.
The challenge of detecting the virus during incubation period (due to asymptomatic nature) and the risk of human-to-human transmission triggered massive lockdowns across the world causing an unprecedented disruption to the travel industry and the economy. Many are losing their jobs and businesses are also winding up. While there are signs of improvement for imported cases, community cases on the contrary are rising, calling upon governments around the world to implement measures such as social distancing and the mandatory use of face masks in public places. Business are being forced to shift operations to the digital world, conducting the largest work-from-home experiment ever.
For those group of individuals who flout measures in place perhaps due optimism bias (yeah it won’t happen to me kind of bull) or simply don’t care to socialise, I don’t hold it against them. After all, we are experiencing a once-in-a-century crisis.
We may be in a storm but we're not in the same boat
This is a treacherous storm, one that is probably gonna last for a long time. We may be caught in the same storm but we’re not in the same boat. Some might be in a ship observing the storm from a relatively safe environment. Some could be in a boat, experiencing intermittent tidal waves, surviving albeit uncomfortable. Some could only traverse in a sampan, weathering the unforgiving storm.
When things look black, there's always a silver lining
I’m grateful that I have the luxury (and no I don’t have a ship or yacht) of using this period of uncertainty to reflect and think about what really matters. I hope things change for the better real soon and I can’t wait to see where you’re travelling next!
Wherever it is, it better be legendary
