Be a hero: Stay the fucking home

During the World War II, young men were asked to serve the armed forces. No,
they were forced by circumstance. Although barely teenagers and hardly
prepared, many chose to fight the war. One can only imagine the dilemma that
haunted them. As the self-taught statesman Blas Ople said, “A generation that
has not experienced war can have no idea of the complex dilemmas and the
difficulty of moral choices that conditions of war impose upon people.”

Today we face a new challenge―the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s not as dramatic as

World War II, but just as fatal. Unlike our predecessors, however, what is
required of us is simple: to stay at home.

One might say, “What about our work? Our business? Our lives?”

Those who were conscripted for the war probably also asked the same questions.
But as history bears out, their lives were put on hold.

And so are our lives. For how long we don’t know. That depends on our
willingness to sacrifice our comfort.

Nobody could have though that staying at home is not just a convenience these
days―it is a civic duty of the highest order.

How do we fare so far? Are we succeeding in performing our civic duty?

If the news is any gauge, it is fair to say we are not. Just look around. There are
mini-sabong here and there. Worse, barangay officials themselves spearheaded
them. There are drinking sessions everywhere. People still congregate at the
market and other public places.

If we cannot perform our civic duty, God bless us if we are called to fight an
actual war. One need not ask whether we can do it.