Plagues or sicknesses should be treated as is, crises, but just as crises bring different levels of stress response or disaster response and just as the faster the reaction time to prevent its spread directly affects the result of its spread, we should be wise enough to do our best to stop the culprit at its roots. There are different ways of responding to a given crisis and there are reactions that are required from the leadership so that these crises are easily navigated through. Today these are not impossible to root out once we have determined where it is found and how it must be treated. The first enemy of any battle or conflict is ignorance, the second is much like unto it, fear and insecurity and the third a consequence of the first two, wrong prescription and that results to death. Let us discuss these things one by one.

1. Ignorance

The prophet Hosea probably laid down to us one of the best preventive means of failure in any field of endeavor, we must have knowledge so that we can push through any difficulties. It is said that ignorance breeds contempt. Indeed our very ignorance can also bring us to the grave if we are not careful to do the right thing in responding to every disaster that comes our way. There once was a story of a poor man who has nothing but a poor dilapidated house. He often wondered looking at the stary host above whether he can get through  his conditions or simply have to remain the same throughout his life, a failure. Fortunately, he learned one thing from his friend, and that is to pray to the talking rock. If you need something, his friend told him, just talk to the talking rock at the gate of our city. That rock is consulted by everyone who have enormous problems. But that rock must be found at the northernmost tip of the city where the hidden gate is.

Taking a clue from his friend, he thought, why could I not talk to that rock and maybe he will also tell me what to do? As the man tried to approach the hidden city gate where only those with enormous problems come, he has to clear the path since no man has ever trudged that way for a long time. Then he cried, Oh rock, please tell me what to do, I have a problem. An enormous burden…how can I be rich  and free from burden? He cried again and again…until after feeling exhausted, he gave up and went to shelter under the old arch. Then the rock spoke, how could you be so sure to come this way? The man said, my friend told me.

Don’t you answer people with problems? People do come and kick at this rock, they knock me off and chip me with their hammers and drills. But after that, they go home and stop waiting so that I could speak. I can only be found by those who speak and hear me. I have all the solutions but not everyone choose to come this way, to remove the weeds on the path and run under my arch.

This story tells us that there are many ways to finding a solution to the problem…some uses hammers and drills, they cry out loud, they bang a lot so that all men could know of the problem…and probably try to help. There are also some who prefers to do it alone, they don’t bang a lot but simply cry out, then wait and watch if this is the right way. In the same manner, we too need to be discerning and be prepared which way we should use in answering disasters. We can be banging a lot but when this rather destroys than builds up, we are better to use another way. The way that the Department of Health and the media “had advertised” the plague of swine flu in our country has inordinately placed some fear and mistrust among businessmen from the outside of the country. There are already too many negative images which we have to overturn and right now, this irresponsible way of handling the swine flue case of keeping the issue afloat could derail the tourism industry. Sometimes, the media has to learn to build up rather than simply promote and cover an issue. There are issues that needs to be covered responsibly in such a way as we do not give so much attention to it that places fear on the people as well as the business in the area.

2. Fear and insecurity

When so much evil report comes on one area, the province or the location can become a place of fear and distress rather than an area of development. For example, Mindanao is painted as a place of terrorist by many media men who often speaks of the war in Mindanao rather than pointing which specific areas there are conflicts. It can be said that there are even more people that dies everyday in Manila compared to those killed in line of conflicts in a day in any area of conflict region in Mindanao. This bad report unnecessarily paints the whole of Mindanao as evil and puts distrust to those who may be willing to brave the seas and come to settle down in Mindanao to improve the lot of many.

So every time we report that the virus has increased to this number or to that or that it jumped to this area, it brings fear to many. Instead, those whom we know are afflicted should be quarantined and treated properly and the number and figures of those who have been made well should also be reported, not only those who have been afflicted. When the negative over runs the positive reports, it only means we have focused on this side more than on the other and we are teaching the nation otherwise. The media were given a voice not to speak at its own will but rather so it can direct the path of the nation to righteousness. Whenever we try to veer away from this call, we bring death to many because of false reports. Anything that is half the truth, is still a lie which can kill the naive.

Another example of this kind of bad report is the unnecessary fear that is generated by shark attacks because of so much media coverage that paints this animal as evil. Sharks attack only because of hunger but to kill all kinds of sharks because of this is even a greater ignorance of what this animal does. Our false judgments and presumptions on some issues can easily backfire on us. Sharks are the top predators of any system which they are in and when these animals are removed, we only get jelly fishes as a result. Thus, when we cover so much about the issues of plagues when it is not needed except to really inform the people of what we must do to avoid these, we are becoming vessels for spreading fear and paranoia to the public.

3. Wrong prescription

Another pitfall that happens during plague attacks include prescribing the wrong response instead to directing it to the right way. The health secretary’s warnings are right and timely but he must not only speak about these in TV ads, he also need to bring down memos down to the least barangay health unit on what to do about swine flu or flu attacks and what to inform the people. Our ignorance can only result to fear when we actually do not know what we are encountering.

But once the light has shone upon us, we will be bold because we know it. Light dispels ignorance and darkness flees before it. Thus, the greatest preventive measure to any disaster or problem is to attack the problem by understanding its nature and how we must prepare against it. When we understand that this is easily prevented by simple hand washing and taking vitamin C supplements so our respiratory system could be boosted against this evil, it will start rolling away its hold upon us. The problem for most networks is their reluctance to publish and cover the solution to this problem more than focusing on the problem itself.

Just as we become what we behold, media has become a problem in most cases instead of the great light that it should be because of wrong focus. To generalize this is also not right for there are media men and women who are working for truth and for balanced views that could spur the nation to righteousness instead of to corruption. Although our media have been in existence for more than thirty years now since the martial law, it can only become a greater light by focusing on two fronts, and trying to give the balanced treatments on issues so that rather than derailing developments, it could become a vessel of change for the better.

4. Death

“Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit.” (Prov. 18:21)

Death is the final result of our existence while living on earth because we are fallen, but this state is greatly accelerated when we allow ourselves to become the mouthpiece of the devil. Just as when we speak the truth, we accelerate and bring life on the earth, we do the same when we speak lies and half truths. The kingdom of darkness is dark because there is no light and keeping others blind by not telling the whole story is one sure way to do that. We must therefore always endeavor as long as we live to speak the truth in love and wisdom. God’s requirement for all messengers and speakers is that they must speak the truth in love so that we can “grow up in all aspects into Him, who is the head, even Christ, from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by that which every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love” (Eph. 4:15-16). Just as we cannot build others except through love, we cannot build true community of caring Filipinos if we do not learn to speak the truth in love. To love means to care, enough so that we won’t be vessels for the devil to proclaim his lies. Let us therefore prepare against any plague or diseases understanding that with God nothing is impossible and that even when a plague tries to come near us, it shall not come to our dwelling places because we are covered by His blood and His covenant.

“We live within the shadow of the Almighty, sheltered by the God who is above all gods.

This I declare, that he alone is my refuge, my place of safety; he is my God, and I am trusting him. For he rescues you from every trap and protects you from the fatal plague.

He will shield you with his wings! They will shelter you. His faithful promises are your armor. Now you don’t need to be afraid of the dark any more, nor fear the dangers of the day; nor dread the plagues of darkness, nor disasters in the morning. 

Though a thousand fall at my side, though ten thousand are dying around me, the evil will not touch me.” (Ps 91:1-7 TLB)