@Ever 25 November 2020 more from that month

Thoughts after dusk

The streets that used to burst with polluted smoke, hazy lights, and annoying vehicle honks are now empty. I stared into the quiet desolation, breathed, and continued to pedal on the lifeless roads on the metro. Superman really isn't real—he didn't do anything to save us from this dilemma. The name "Superman" only stands as the best answer an incompetent official gives when in a hot seat. I stopped at a nearby grocery store. My brow automatically raised as I saw the effects of the people's absurdity. A huge lady with a cart full of bottles of isopropyl alcohol and hand sanitizers was screaming at the cash register, "The customer is always right!" To my annoyance, I quietly slipped behind her. Swiftly, I distributed the alcohol by threes to the people who were there—until the lady had the same amount as everyone else. I watched her scream in frustration when she found out that there were only three alcohols left in her huge cart. I only smiled at her as she stared at the three bottles I have in my hand. "Don't neglect others, their lives are also important, like yours," I told her. The lady at the cash register smiled at her and said, "Ma'am, he has a point, because the customer is always right." Her face flushed beet red. She immediately went out as soon as she paid for her groceries. I ended up buying the rest of my supplies at the store. As I pedalled back to my house, I happened to pass the elders who were sitting comfortably in their bamboo chairs. Some were smoking while some were playing mahjong. They are discussing the current state of the country. "If this pandemic happened on election season, there is no doubt that free alcohols and face masks will be given by politicians", one of them said and they all laughed in unison. They were right, if the tides were high, the faces of the candidates would be on the bottles of sanitizers and alcohols. Paper flyers would be distributed after the people received the free masks. Now, some of them are all talk and no act while their followers blindly submit to their deceit and continues to ignore the pleas of the desperate, the ones who were struggling in the lower parts of our social class. Then I remembered that these elders shouldn't be staying outside, they should be inside their homes— and I realized that we all have our faults, we all somehow fail to do our part. That night, as I drew the curtains of my bedroom, another thought disturbed my precious sleep. As I lie awake, I began to ponder on the things that could've been done to prevent this pandemic from placing not only fear but also stupidity in the minds of the people. Who are the real hypocrites? Until when do we need to suffer? Until when do we need to fight while others remain blind? When are we going to slap the faces of those who are ignorant so they wake them up from their distorted fantasy? When are we going to condemn them for their corrupt ways and for their incompetence? When are we going to learn?