I hope we didn’t open old wounds with articles in yesterday’s issue dwelling on the Don Juan sea accident 41 years ago, that had caused the loss of lives of hundreds of its passengers, some of whom had been lost in the sea with their bodies never found. But we hope that , at least, the reminiscences on it had reminded, not only the ones who had lost family members and friends, to pray for the souls of those whoperished, so they may earn the right to enter the kingdom of their Lord and God.
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What a strange coincidence it is, however, that at about the same date and time, another sea accident has taken place, this time with the disappearance, also at sea, of an American submarine with 53 crew members on board. Up to this writing, I have not yet heard any reports on the incident, and hope seems to be dimming because the oxygen supply the submarine had on board was not expected to last, unless the crew had been rescued by now. Their oxygen supply was supposed to last, at the most, only until Saturday, and how many days have passed since then?
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Another reason why adults should always give good examples to the young ones, i.e., parents, to their children, and older ones to their siblings, is that young people nowadays have very strong tendencies to follow or imitate what their elders are doing. The advice of our elders that we must always give good example to the young ones is still effective, even in these so-called modern times. Remember the case of George Floyd, who was killed when another man knelt on his neck for almost ten minutes?
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I forgot to take down the setting of this incident, but it told about some boys playing and when one of them fell down another sprawled over him and the rest shouted “Kneel on his neck! Kneel on his neck!” Goodness gracious! Was that the lesson they got from the killing of George Floyd, the black man who died through that means? The one responsible, Derek Chauvin, has already been tried and may spend a long time in prison, but see? Some children got the idea that it was something worth imitating!
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This would seem irrelevant to some people, but another industry that is being very seriously affected by this pandemic is said to be the movie industry. Indeed, what company would persist in making movies when actors, actresses, and even directors and crew would be in fear of infection from anyone working with them being a carrier? The industry may the source of bread and butter from some of its workers, but could they avoid close contracts, especially among the actors? Any romantic scenes, especially kissing scenes, would surely be suspect! So, never mind if there are no new movies, entertain yourself with TV, you don’t even have to maintain social distancing with it!
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Meanwhile, please do not think that you can take COVID 19 for granted, even these days. Think of India, where thousands of cases have been cropping up almost by the day. Yes, we have been getting some vaccines and they have been used on several residents of our city, especially the so-called front-liners, but the amount that has reached us still is not enough for everyone willing, or even eager to be vaccinated. Seems we do not have the luxury of oversupply, so let’s not be complacent, stick to the old “protocols”, mind the company you keep, and don’t forget social, rather, physical distancing. Those are your safeguards until vaccines for everyone come.
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Whatever you may want to do in public that might cause you trouble later, desist. Someone, somewhere near you haven’t noticed may be a video addict who may be focusing on you and cause you a lot of trouble later. Remember the case of George Floyd, the man who lost his life when a heartless character knelt on his neck while he was under a vehicle. The “kneeler” who probably did not think he was committing murder already, had not reckoned with the presence of a teenager with a video camera who recorded the entire incident. Now the “kneeler” who, I believe, had never thought he was committing a crime, has been charged, and may spend a lot of time in jail regretting his act.
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The Philippines has gotten international attention for the very innovative way, its people are dealing with the problems that the pandemic has brought. And among these is the so-called “Community Pantry” where food stuff, vegetables and other items are being made available for free to poor people who do not have the means to feed themselves and their families. I will not be surprised if others will imitate this in order to help their own hungry and helpless.*
