Throughout this pandemic, I have learned much about the system we live in by observing the consequences of obedience, civil disobedience, and poor leadership within our society. In California, we have experienced three separate shutdowns since Spring 2020 as a result of positive cases that continue to rise despite an already overworked health care system, and the obscure reopening of nonessential businesses. The unique profile of COVID-19 cast a Dunning–Kruger effect over experts in health and policy, who reported updates on the virus every day but still uncovered very little.1 This annoying dance of two steps forward and five steps back is orchestrated by the noise of conspiracy theorists, those who are experiencing pandemic fatigue, and those who refuse to acknowledge that COVID-19 is, in fact, real. This noise can force someone into labyrinths of confusion and desperation for something other than the expected. For some, this was this end; for others like me, it was another chance. While this pandemic has centered itself on every personal, community, and global stage, it has simultaneously provided some down time for those of different levels of privilege to reconcile, reprioritize, and remember.
NEW CULTURAL BOUNDARIES OF LOVE
Admitting that I am 30 and still live at home with my family has always been detrimental to my pride and estimated value as an adult. And yet, it is a privilege to share this space together with my parents and grandparents through this difficult time. In Filipino culture, love and respect are communicated through physical embrace as it is customary to greet your elders with a kiss on the cheek and a blessing of their hand to your forehead. With the rapid spread of COVID-19, our cultural routines have quickly ceased, causing my only acknowledgment and affection for my parents and grandparents to seem cold and empty when it is really filled with concern and caution.
This choice of refraining from risky behavior is a choice that many Americans are privileged to have. In an effort to slow the spread of COVID-19, public health measures such as mandatory mask wearing and social distancing have become notoriously political as they were quickly interpreted as threats to an individual’s autonomy, which, to some people, seems to be more important than the greater good. While less fortunate people around the world, including the United States, are fighting to afford simple necessities such as housing and health care for their survival, some Americans are fiercely protesting against safety protocols that slow the spread of COVID-19 as it infringes on their privilege to live freely despite a global pandemic. From the start of this pandemic in March 2020, it has become clear to me, as confirmed cases and the demand for personal protective equipment has drastically increased, the only thing the United States could consistently provide its citizens was choice. Compared with our global counterparts, rights to choose how your life is lived is a privilege that still not all Americans have.
THE WORKING DILEMMA
For what is considered a privilege can also be a boon. Jobs and regular income provide people with financial stability and access to resources. Within the context of operating during a global pandemic, some jobs present higher risks and do not always outweigh their benefits. Restaurants that have survived up until this point are not working for profit, but for staying in business. Hospitality and service industries are in business but are eating costs by operating at minimal capacity. Frontline health care workers carry the burden of treating helpless patients and bearing bad news to distraught loved ones. Although there are specific pandemic restrictions to observe public health and safety, the burden still falls on the tired shoulders of a depleted health care system that continues to be a bandage for what could have been better contained—not because we did not have the resources, but because we did not have the cohesive support from legislature at all levels.
My perspective on public health has forever changed to first acknowledge the privilege we, as public health professionals, have to assess and evaluate situations and implementations. Taking shelter under the shades of privilege during the pandemic is the younger sibling who learns from an older sibling’s stupid mistakes. Privilege here represents a range of advantages that contribute to one’s well-being and likelihood of safety and security.2 After one semester of my graduate career in public health, social determinants and health inequities had finally come alive through the entanglements of 2020. Under shelter-in-place orders, the attention to mental capacity to acknowledge these misfortunate events still require a way to get on with life without going out. People living within this pandemic have resorted to different types of you-only-live-once philosophies in either the wrong, complete, or incomplete context, because our reality has become infinitely shorter and less certain.
A PROMISING FUTURE IF YOU LET US
The future of public health relies less on health and more on the external factors and circumstances that support not only an individual’s behavior but also the triggers that influence stress and shape perception. I envision public health to grow and always include multi- and interdisciplinary experts who may not be directly involved with health but recognize that their efforts most certainly support the sustainability of life and its fulfillment.3 Bringing self-care to the public requires interdisciplinary teamwork and communication to bridge connecting ideas over gaps in the scope of practice. While each person has unique needs, it is also an amazing time to see how different kinds of stimuli and attention can improve one’s mood and quality of life. Moving forward, public health is the common good that keeps the pulse of the people alive and well. Without acknowledging the expansion and positive effects that public health brings, we are choosing to ignore the potential of our greatest good, the general public. As we continue through this pandemic in place, we most certainly need the art, music, science, and advocacy to keep our minds open and free when our world is shut down.
I am inclined to be more hopeful that my fellow public health colleagues and I, along with multisectoral community partners and experts, see the value in protecting people over businesses, property, and money through the prioritization of public health, life, and safety.4 This includes experts in art, wellness, public health, and even music, to create innovative channels that best express our emotions and preserve our spirit by finding peace through nature and human connections. Public health calls for not only health experts but also for community organizers, peacemakers, cunning communicators, countless creatives, and technology innovators to catch those who fall between the cracks of loneliness, denial, conspiracy theory, or stubbornness. To come out of this stronger than our past deceived mistakes, our American society will have to learn how to let go of the individual ego and adapt to be a part of the thriving collective. The only solace I have as a public health graduate is that I will be continuing in this world with a full toolkit, complete with references on how the United States has handled the 2020 pandemic, instances of consequential outcomes from being unprepared, lessons from being oblivious to professional advice, and the moral compass pointing in the direction on how to move forward.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I would like to acknowledge Melanie D. Sabado-Liwag, PhD, MPH, for her guidance and encouraging me to share my authentic self, especially during this isolated time. I would also like to acknowledge the California State University–Los Angeles Department of Public Health, faculty, staff, and cohort for the continuous support as we remotely learn together.
CONFLICTS OF INTEREST
The author declares that there is no conflict of interest.
REFERENCES
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