by
Andrea Monique S. Hidalgo, Chief Artist
Von Andre V. Vedan, Chief Photographer
Photo by: Von Andre V. Vedan
Layout by: Raphael Joseph P. Francisco
A widespread infirmity summoned a series of events forcing changes to be daringly uncovered and challenges to be bravely conquered. As most of us pressed on our academic journey to avoid delays, others opted to take a break from the said path. But aside from countless pressures going on, anxiety is like the air we breathe as we think of our health and our loved ones’. It seems that every day we’ve been in a constant loop of worry. We are restrained starting from our faces; distanced physically and socially, and barred from traveling to places we used to go to. There were also government protocols that change every once in a while which makes things troublesome. Living through such challenging times might be frustrating and at the same time, draining for most of us, but that should not stop us from acting upon it and doing our part to make things back to normal—or better yet, creating a new and improved normal.
It is inevitable that most of us feel melancholic for not seeing our friends and blockmates for quite some time and yearn for the everyday moments we shared with them. No one thought that a one-week suspension of lessons would turn out to be almost a year’s worth of just staring into our screens to pass the time. But we know that eventually, we have had to adjust, and face whatever changes and challenges ahead of us since it is a path towards growth from stagnation or complacency. It is okay to be afraid, to fail and fall down, for these are the things that will strengthen us. The important thing is that we get up and keep moving forward.
In this long-term lockdown, it’s safe to say that some of us may feel that we’re getting a hang of it. Though this was never meant to be easy, so are any other changes or beginnings. Some of us have tried to keep ourselves busy to forget the fact that we are experiencing and living a major crisis that will soon just be a part of history. This should remind us of the times we felt as if we were tiptoeing our way around things, but realizing that tracking such an unhealthy and unproductive path will not do us any good. The truth is, the only way to get at it is to get through it. There may be battles along the way, but they will always lead to victories which shows the wonder and the fruit of truly appreciating things if we’ve come across both extremes. So, never give up.