When all else follow

At first we think about the impossibilities of performing our routines in this time of pandemic. But as we face this unfolding crisis, we continue to think of how to get things done. We’ve also worked out ways to satisfy our basic needs. And that’s why the delivery companies are proliferating because people outside their homes don’t want to expose themselves to risk. Only a few clicks into their cell phones will be at the doorsteps minutes after your ordered the items.

It also makes it possible to think about getting a particular need or want and obtaining by barter. One will address your needs from the other side of the street, neighborhood or town. Who could have thought that your friends would start feeding you with some leads or answers to what you need after you’ve posted on your wall?

People must make way in almost all fields to fill in certain gaps or needs of others. This is true in the arts and performance area too. Plunging into the virtual world, excellently-intentioned people will be using this platform to demonstrate their artistic outputs. For example, in cinema this year the Cinemalaya uses the virtual platform to exhibit selected films for their festival. It is rather far away from their regular Cultural Center of the Philippines as screening venue. I can’t help but recall the entries of last year as I hopped from one hall to the next.

The festival celebrations are not that far away. As we are still in the quarantine season, it’s unlikely this year to keep it the same as before. But the pandemic can not deter festivals from being held by the faithful and the enthusiasts. And this in the case of the Dinagat Festival 2020, as I am invited to be one of the jurors, not in a big venue and definitely not on the streets, but on the virtual platform, via Zoom.

To be wise means to respond to what the situation calls for. We hope to learn a lesson from water which takes its shape depending on where it is being placed and what container. If we lack versatility, we won’t be able to adapt and come out victorious to various circumstances. If we are versatile, we are able to find the right solution to any given situation. And to me, people have responded to by utilizing the best approach given a particular situation.

This all began with our basic needs and seeking out alternatives to our supply, and then continues on from other human undertakings that need versatility and adaptation. We are all at some point disappointed by the present condition. We are all affected by such change, but it’s our adaptability that cushions the impact. And when we get used to it, it’s time we’re not going to long for the past.