Yesterday afternoon, the Government of Guam confirmed the first three cases of Covid-19 on island. Covid-19 headlines have circulated on social media for weeks, and stores have since been rationing cleaning supplies in preparation for the first few cases. It wasn’t a matter of if Guam were to get Covid-19, but when. And now that Covid-19 has arrived, the presence of our inafa’maolek culture will be ever more felt.
In any crisis, there will be fear and panic, but in the midst of all the chaos, we should not forget about kindness. But what does kindness look like in the middle of a pandemic? Will it look different than the care struggling families received post-typhoons? Will you be the one giving? Receiving? How can one practice kindness while also being cautious of one’s health?
There’s no easy way to answer these, and hindsight is always 20/20. But, if there is any proof that we will get through this, it will certainly be because of all the small acts of kindness of traditional inafa’maolek; the sharing of harvests, the reciprocity of labor and the feeling of friendship (6ft apart, of course!).
We cannot let fear undermine the strength of our peoples. Instead, find ways to keep yourself busy and maybe plant a few vegetables during this enduring time.
