Resilience in the face of the pandemic

When we look back at what happened in the last two years all throughout the world, one could just offer a sigh. We were never prepared for this.

Being locked down for several months in the Philippines forced us to reconfigure our social life. We tend to look at each family member from a different angle; the pandemic has made us realize that our families are treasures that we should nourish.

Everyone was worried about getting simple colds or a little sneezing, as this could be interpreted differently. When you went to the hospital for a check -up, there was a chance that you would be put in an isolation room with no relatives near you.

Panic and loneliness are our worst enemy.

Simply not having control over the situation and feeling disempowered makes us feel lost.

One good thing that happened during this disruptive and challenging situation was that our creativity was squeezed.

In our country, movement of goods stalled because of lock down. People were hungry. Agricultural products need to move.

This caused a new concept to emerge: “Produce Peace Plus” was born. Produce Peace Plus was a way of moving produce from the farm to the consumer’s table while providing a solution for products discarded because of lock down. We were able to deliver food to people in need.

Creativity comes from our great Creator.

As human beings, we submit to the one who created us, we say, “Not my will, but your will be done.”

Although we enjoy God’s creation, we must not worship Creation itself rather than the Creator. When we trust God, the creative Creator provides imaginative ways to respond to the challenges that emerge during the pandemic and beyond.

—Joji Pantoja is chair of the Peace Commission and founder and chief executive officer of Coffee for Peace in Davao, Philippines.