The world is not enough…for civilization to return to normalcy.
The aphorism above is my own observation on the state of Earth today and in the years to come (though I adopted the first five words from one of Irish-American actor Pierce Brosnan’s James Bond movies). Harking back to the very recent past- the beginning of the current decade- and reflecting on what had happened, we have been under a worldwide pandemic since early 2020 and it has made us less mobile and more sedentary as a result (though there have been many who took up exercise as therapy and are still doing so up to the present).
Not one country or territory can claim to be totally unaffected by COVID-19 physically or economically, or even mentally and emotionally (except perhaps for Sweden, Norway, and Gibraltar).
The fact that many nations have been affected by COVID-19 is a testament to how a very virulent virus can be quite much more lethal than a tsunami, an earthquake, or even the bubonic plague of the Middle Ages.
It was only in 2020 that the term frontliner has been made standard. Such a term has been used to refer to people from the government or the private sector who are actively serving our compatriots, regardless of their COVID-19 status.
Whom do we consider our frontliners?
Our frontliners of today consist of our valiant medical professionals such as doctors, nurses, therapists, attendants, medical technologists, and other allied medical professionals. We cannot
We cannot help thinking about our frontliners’ sacrifices on the field and off (and beyond) as well as appreciating them whether on social media or in person. They have been invaluable and esteemed in every civilized society for centuries now. However, they are human just like us and they succumb to fatigue, pressure, depression, desperation, and lugubriousness. They, especially our medical frontliners, have needs that have not been met, such as their wages and their right to rest and recreation (I should know because I have family and friends who are medical frontliners).
Though there are many frontliners who are patriotic, selfless, compassionate, and valiant, there are also frontliners who are also ornery, insolent, pompous, and pedantic. For instance, there is this well-known medical professional who has been bannering himself on national television and going about his cantankerous ways (though disguised as loving concern for the government). It is ironic that he is a health advocate yet he does not know how to have a heart for our state of health. That personality- who purports to treat heart problems yet is stone-hearted and audaciously thick-faced himself- has been spewing thinly-disguised and vitriolic criticisms left and right. Other examples that I have not forgotten until now are some government officials- especially the opposition- who brazenly criticize our government and our president for their lapses instead of praising them for their efforts. A few of them are several legislators (one of them has pending drug-related cases) who have been throwing brickbats at our beloved president through social media, which has proven to be a very deleterious weapon of mass reputation destruction.
Through the almost two years of having been a part of this pandemic-stricken world, I would like to share with you the 12 types of frontliners today (please feel free to disagree with me, if you must) according to how they act in times of crises:
A.The Good
- Healing-oriented medical workers – These are the medical professionals who serve our sick compatriots without fear, favor, or rancor. They honor our country by ensuring that the survivors truly overcome sickness and that the grieving be comforted.
- Valiant law enforcers and public servants – These are our police officers and soldiers who are dedicated to keeping peace and order in our society. They risk their lives just to see that everyone is safe and sound especially at night. We also include our firefighters, our barangay tanod, our street sweepers, and civil servants who will stop at nothing to serve our country.
- Attentive attendants and clerks – These types of employees are those who serve our needs, such as gas station employees, storekeepers, restaurant wait staff, sellers, ambulant vendors, security guards, drivers, construction workers, and other rank-and-file personnel. They are worth emulating because they help us to make our lives much easier.
- Passionate professionals – These include our dedicated teachers, our BPO personnel, our financial professionals, and others who work doubly hard in order to keep our economy and country moving.
B.The Bad - Publicity-hungry messiahs and oppositionists – Such rare breeds before have now become commonplace for they nitpick and bully our government into submission. These types have as members some leftist legislators and many of the members of the opposition who are akin to anarchists (in fact, they have the makings of megalomaniacs).
- Incompetent officials and candidates – These types of people simply do not know what they are doing, or they choose to join the wrong side of the law.
- Snobbish medics – Many of these so-called healers are more of heat-lers because they are always heating up whenever they have to deal with many patients. Some examples are those who act as if they are higher and mightier than Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom or US President Joseph “Joe” Biden.
- Bombastic academics – These include researchers and professors who bombard our television screens and radio speakers just to spew jargon and the results of their so-called research, which do not even have strong relation to what is currently happening and lack practical application. Some even openly oppose the government to the point of being more condescending than Cruela de Vil or Alexis Carrington.
C.The Dastardly - Rapacious local government officials – These include opposition legislators who do nothing but feign concern for the populace yet are committing violations of the Seventh Commandment.
- Sinister suppliers – These include medical suppliers, construction companies, and other enterprises that circumvent the legal bidding process and instead go directly to larcenous LGU officials or even national-level officials.
- The mendacious and mercenary media – There are too many to mention, yes, for these types of media professionals cast vitriol upon our government most of the time by underreporting or not reporting our government’s achievements. One of these happen to be several prominent media practitioners who are allied with the opposition and/or the leftists.
- Creepy leftist politicians – These types of people are hyenas disguised as poodles. The reason why they must be purged permanently is that they promote anarchy and terror instead of working hand-in-hand with our government to promote peace, order, and respect for human lives.
This is my message to all our frontliners: Choose who you want to be and live with the consequences of your choice.
If you have suggestions in terms of the education-related topics that you want me to feature, please feel free to send me an email to edteo.ramos@yahoo.com or to coachjet.inspirations@gmail.com and I will reply to you as soon as I receive your email.
