Keep calm, do not over-react. How many times have we heard this mantra over the last 1 month in Singapore? Coronavirus – now just mutter this 1 simple word, and it would strike fear in anyone all over the world. Who would have thought that an innocent patient, admitted to a hospital in Wuhan, China, would have the power to infect at least 10 health care workers and four other patients with the coronavirus that has sickened more than 34,000 people, killed 700 and reached two dozen other countries.
In Singapore, the number of infected cases has increased greatly. At the point of posting this blog post, 43 cases have been reported, with 6 being in critical care. The fear has reached a point that people in Singapore are afraid, terrified even. Why, you may ask? Their fear is not unwarranted. On the evening of 7 February 2020, Singapore had raised its disease outbreak response to the coronavirus situation by a notch to “orange”, just below the highest level of “red”.
Due to the updated “orange” marker, residents living all around Singapore have started stocking up on daily necessities, and this behaviour has led to items flying off shelves at some supermarkets here. This is simply because they fear that due to the severity of the virus, there will be curfews imposed, or that they will not be able to travel out for food or even, basic necessities such as toilet paper.
The fury of the fires
At this point, let us pause for a moment, and think of what’s happening in our society. It is not just the coronavirus that is affecting the people in Singapore. It is also the lack of civic-mindedness demonstrated that is affecting the morale of residents living in Singapore. This mass purchase of groceries has led to a “hoarding” behaviour that is strongly frowned upon, simply because there will never be a shortage of any kind of groceries for prolonged periods. Also, by individuals’ mass purchasing the various types of groceries, it deprives others of the chance to purchase what may be more vital for them at that point in time. Hashtags such as #endthehoardingmentality have been created just so that there is increased awareness of this ugly behaviour, and that people stop this selfish behaviour.
In retrospect, Singaporean parents spend a lot of time, attention and money towards seeing to it that their children get the best education and come out with sparkling academic results. But how much is being invested in improving the behavior of our young ones? The way kids behave in a social setting right from a young age holds great sway over the remaining part of their lives. One needs to know to be able to interact with others, build relationships and network in society effectively. As such, there is a need to have a better discussion and awareness of this issue.
In the case of the coronavirus now, soft skills and how one can build better relationships are even more necessary. It is important for all residents living in Singapore to build a cohesive society by being collaborative, and not individualistic. We should look out for each other, rather than be wary of who’s going to be able to purchase the last box of masks, or worse still, the last packet of toilet rolls.
A recent study points out that better social skills among young children can help them reduce their stress levels. The hormone cortisol is linked with stress. An enhanced set of social skills is observed to keep the secretion of cortisol within the desired limits among children. This is beneficial especially when toddlers are away from their families and are at school.
An interestingting thing to note, New York has reported that even though the coronavirus has infected more than 37,000 people and more than 800 people have died, relatively few children appear to have developed severe symptoms so far. Hence, if children are able to behave better in social settings (which reduces their stress levels), and with their ability to withstand the seriousness of the virus, they may be the ones who inspire the possibility of beating the virus epidemi
Digging into the reasons
Kindness begets kindness. As Mr Farish A. Noor nicely sums up, (The Straits Times, 10 February 2020, The virus scare as a mirror to ourselves and our society),
“Today, we live in a world that is saturated with images of fear-inducing crisis and violence – on TV, in cinema, in social media, in games – and one where we are constantly being alerted to every new threat, no matter how insignificant it may be.
We are spooked about the food we eat, the detergents we use in our laundry, the aerosols we spray in our houses or on our bodies, and so on.
A growing sense of helplessness and anxiety that renders both individuals and societies weak, to the point that they are no longer able to cope with life’s vagaries and contingencies.”
There is no doubt that we live in a complex world which is not about to become any simpler, and we need to work together as ONE SINGAPORE to overcome any curveball that comes our way. If our only response to every news crisis is going to dampen our morale and encourage individualistic behaviour, then there will be no end to humanity’s divisiveness. We need to remember that no disease has been defeated by panic, and no society can become resilient through fear, or mass hoarding of groceries. Let’s all be kind to each other, for we need each other’s support to get through this challenging period.
Cover Image taken from The Straits Times.
Exam Smart Tips
Exam Smart Tip #1 – How to Encourage Our Kids to Speak Better?
Exam Smart Tip #2 – How to avoid carelessness?
Exam Smart Tip #3 – Establishing Routines!
Exam Smart Tip #4 – Let’s Read Carefully!
Exam Smart Tip #5 – Beating the Exam Fever!
Exam Smart Tip #6 – How to Eat Right for the Exams?
Exam Smart Tip #7 – How to Avoid a Meltdown?
Exam Smart Tip #8 – Taking Stress out of Tests
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