From surviving to thriving

WE need to see to it that we are not merely surviving in

these trying times of ours these days. We should be thriving, for

indeed these difficult moments when we are subjected to a lot of

restrictions are good occasions with tremendous potentials to enrich

us in ways other than what we are used to.

            As they say, the worst of times can be and should be the

best of times. Difficulties, trials, challenges are good stimuli for

development and growth. They wake us up where we tend to be dormant.

They point to us things that we tend to ignore. They open for us new

horizons, new frontiers where we tend to just go in circles or to be

contented with what we are having now.

            Let’s never forget that our life is a continuous journey

toward our definitive eternal goal. We should never stop at a certain

point. We just have to keep on moving both in good times and in bad.

            At the end of this pandemic thing with all its restrictive

prudential measures to counter it, let’s see to it that we are

convinced that we are truly enriched by the experience and that we are

ready to face a new chapter of our life, a new leg in our journey.

  

            At this time, when this menace is starting to subside, let

us take a look-back, learning precious lessons from what we have gone

through to help us have a practical, practicable and optimistic

look-forward.

            Let us see where we went wrong or were totally unprepared

for a pandemic which can strike us again, much like a thief in the

night, in the future. Let’s see what we can do, not only to correct

the wrong things but also to improve on the passably working aspects

of our life, both personal and the different levels of collectivity,

when the vicious virus attacked the whole world.

            It’s good that we ask ourselves in our different aspects

of our life—personal, family, professional, economic, social,

political, spiritual, etc.—questions like, did we have enough

supplies? Are our savings adequate for a sudden change of living

conditions? Do we have the appropriate support structures to help us

when we find ourselves in an emergency situation?

            How is our capability for adaptability and resilience when

there are sudden, drastic changes in our living conditions? Do we have

the means not only to protect ourselves but also to confront and solve

the problem?

            Do we have the proper sense of order and priority in life,

knowing to distinguish between what is essential and what is optional,

what can be given up under certain circumstances and what should never

be at all costs?

            In the end, do we know how to relate everything to God,

how to sanctify whatever circumstance we find ourselves in, for this

is what is absolutely necessary, irrespective of whether we succeed or

fail in our human responses to our crises?

            For sure, making these considerations will help us get

helpful insights and lead us to formulate appropriate resolutions, so

we can be more prepared, like good Boy and Girl Scouts, to meet

emergency and crisis situations in the future.

            Let’s always remember that we are prodded to be always

vigilant, for as Christ said, “you do not know the day on which your

Lord will come. But understand this: if the homeowner had known in

which watch of the night the thief was coming, he would have kept

watch and would not have let his house be broken into…” (Mt 24,42-43)

            Vigilance, to be sure, is not just a matter of doing

nothing other than guarding. It is a vigilance of love where both the

guarding and protective need of our life, on one hand, and the

creative and productive requirement of our life, on the other hand, go

together.