The Life with Restraining Orders
If today will be the last day of your life, how would you spend it?
If today will be the last day of your life, how would you spend it? This may be one of the cliché questions that we can’t avoid to encounter. Of course, with a great cliché question, comes with great cliché answers. Some of them might say, that they will spend it by traveling the world. Others, will go and party all night with a young, wild, and free motto stamped on their shirts and their minds. Some may not believe it and go on with their lives, because there’s so much important stuff to do than answering some stupid question.
How about you? How will you spend it? Or should I revise the question into; How will you spend this day if this isn’t your last? Can we still travel the world? Will they let us enter and give us a hand shake or maybe a peck on the cheek? Can we feel their warm welcome with a hug? I don’t think so, because look! They’re keeping their distance from us. Well then, let’s just go party all night and be young, wild, and free instead. Oh! wait, there’s a note saying that the key to survive, is to keep your body healthy. Here, put on a jacket, it’s too cold out here, I can even hear the wind blows. I guess, it turns out that, the young can no longer feel their youth, the wild should remain tame and being free cannot be claimed.
Can you take it seriously now? I know that writing and talking about this pandemic topic is too much overrated, but what else could we see? What else rumor could we hear? Isn’t the effect of this virus happening all over the world? So, please bare with me because this is the only kind of freedom I have. Yes, it’s about the freedom that has been snatched from us. Now, I understand why a dog keeps on barking while being caged, we have become a prisoner of our own cells, without crime committed. But the thing is, we have the key to free ourselves, but we let ourselves to be locked up by our fears. Afraid of being infected and affect more lives.
We are all trapped but not jammed, some of us can prevent themselves from being exposed, while others oath to take risks, finding the cure to the most wanted killer. These people are the living heroes, the a. k. a. “Frontliners”, our first in line defenders. Their freedom has been sacrificed even before this started and became worst, but they don’t mind, because they only have one wish, and that is for us to stay and be safe at home if necessary. Come to think of this, while we’re at the market thinking of what should we get to supply our needs, they’re thinking of the needs of their patients to regain their health. While we can’t sleep, complaining about the ending of our favorite drama, they don’t have time to express their grievance or, even think about resting, because another victim has been reported positive, and needed to be delivered to the two doors of the emergency room. They are the shields from the forces of a deadly virus, but they don’t deserve to be the sacrificial lamb.
Some of us are fortunate to have our families with us, we’re able to see them, talk to them, and eat with them. But our heroes choose to stay in their designated wards and stations. Imagine, neither of them cannot be with their loved ones, they’re all dying to see and embrace their children, but because of the exposure to their patients, their way of showing their affection is to stay away, for the safety of all. None of them wants to kiss their child with a mask around their faces, no one wants to hold a hand enclosed by a glove, and who would want to give their I love you and goodbye through the screen of a phone. I remembered what my mother once said to me, “No man is an island, you will always have someone behind your back or someone to be with you”. But mom? I don’t understand, is this still possible? If it is, I hope, someone is there with you.
