There I was, in my house sitting at the table in this incredible Caribbean island of Curaçao, my rock and my soul.
These days are a bit strange. We are facing so many challenges worldwide as we navigate through this pandemic. Three of my daughters have returned home from abroad, while one is studying here. So joyful, all of them here. Apart from work from home, the normal house chores and the less joyful but necessary “social distancing”, we are just trying to keep our sanity.
Recently I began what I like to call a “LCT” or “Learning Conversation Theme.” This time the theme was: What's worst, not to see or not to know? The question warrants different answers. However, of the different answers I selected one. From one of my daughters I got the following response: “Well Dad, I think more than not being able to see or to know, is to not understand. “
“Correcto el bingo!” I told her, offering of course my personal opinion. You know, the Romans used to say “Non solvere quod non intellegis”, meaning “You cannot solve what you don’t understand”. Throughout history, many people have been appointed in positions to manage. But once there, they seem not to understand what to do, simply because….they may see it, or they may not know it. Then again, they don’t seem to really understand the problem. Consequently, they make things worse. “Point taken, Dad”, she said.
“OK, still, we must move forward”, I continued.
“Well,” she said, “I think what comes after you understand is the necessity to think further.”
“Okay,” I intervened. “But how do you do that?”
And she said, “Dad, I think it’s all about imagination!
“Wow!” I responded, “Correcto el bingo!”
In retrospect, you can still have meaningful conversations (even stuck at home) and at the same time, learn that you first….try to really understand the problem, before you start fixing it.
Norberto V. Ribeiro
(April 2, 2020)
President Trump together with the mayors of New York and Los Angeles are now advising all to wear face masks in public.
On March 29 The Daily Herald was kind enough to publish my appeal to government to mandate the wearing of face masks in public. I asked that the authorities investigate the merits of this issue but still no word or action, as everyone seems to be busy worrying.
The evidence is becoming more apparent that this is the right thing to do, as leaders and institutions now seem to be reversing their previous position on the issue. Every day, every week that goes by the situation on the island will worsen exponentially.
The big problem remains that we don’t know who is carrying the disease, the symptoms show up after it’s already spread. But if everyone is made to wear a mask in public, no matter who gets the disease, they can’t infect the general population.
Once this epidemic takes hold people will automatically social-distance and wear masks. It’s just a pity that so many will suffer or even die in the interim.
You can make a pretty effective mask by using an old T-shirt, or even using a scarf.
Since it is in the restriction of transmission that this strategy really works, we could look at it as, “I wear my mask to protect you and you wear yours to protect me,”
We pay a lot of money for our MPs and Ministers. Should it become clear in retrospect that this action should have been taken but was never even considered it will speak volumes as to who was worth their salt.
Mike Vieira
Dear Editor,
What Marcus Aurelius, a staunch adherent of Zeno, the founder of Stoicism, would have done for humanity in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic? Regarded as one of the five good emperors of the Ancient Roman Empire, Marcus would have probably recommended as an essential quarantine read his personal journal which was posthumously published as Meditations. Meditations was one of the books smuggled onto Robben Island for Nelson Mandela which helped enormously to replenish his spiritual resources providing him with daily doses of inspiration and spiritual energy to continue his long struggle for freedom.
To gain perspective, Marcus Aurelius wrote Meditations while being surrounded by the horrors of the Antonine plague (165-180 AD) and in the middle of the Marcomannic wars (166-180 AD). Now almost two millenniums later here we are faced with the COVID-19 pandemic the symptoms of which are eerily similar to the ancient Antonine plague and which threatens to upend countless lives. In passage ix.2 of the meditations Marcus states, “Even the pestilence around him is less deadly than falsehood, evil behaviour and lack of true understanding.”
Daily we witness the manifestation of the foregoing, people are continuing to adopt a cavalier approach to what still remains a serious global threat. In her report on the banality of evil Hannah Arendt posed the question, “Can someone do evil without being evil?”, a thought-defying act or thoughtlessness which occurs when someone becomes morally disengaged and is unable to think from the standpoint of someone else.
As we know or I assume most of us know, asymptomatic persons are fuelling the COVID-19 pandemic. And with an incubation period of around five days prior to the onset of symptoms no one can say with any degree of certainty during this period whether he or she is infected without first being tested.
It can be inferred then that this places a lot of us in a very peculiar and dangerous position as potential carriers. It’s rather unfortunate that this invisible terror evades sensory perception as none among us to date have been able to pinpoint its presence solely with the use of our sense organs. So, to mitigate the chances of further contagion it becomes absolutely necessary that we employ the most effective method that is entirely within our control, and that is the complete observance of all preventive and health protocols, foremost among which are social distancing and proper self-hygiene and sanitisation.
I imagine Marcus Aurelius with feelings and emotions repressed saying to his subjects during the Antonine plague, “Be calm, plagues have been with us from time immemorial and will continue to be with us indefinitely.” Marcus would have gone on to remind citizens of his empire that plagues are a part of the cycle of nature and are largely outside of their control; however, he would have been quick to point out that how they respond is totally within their control. He would have advised his subjects that the best chance they have of remaining healthy within nature is to adopt a rational approach by practicing virtue, doing what’s good and right for humanity.
Prime Minister Silveria Jacobs continues to plea, instruct and remind all and sundry of their roles and responsibilities and I sense this is coming from a genuine place of love and sincerity. Information from the World Health Organisation and other credible sources is abundantly disseminated to governments and citizens alike around the globe.
Given this level of awareness how can one reasonably absolve oneself from personal responsibility for failing to observe the contents of preventive measures, which can result in others becoming infected or even killed? Ignorance of the law is no excuse and cannot be used as a procedural defense in criminal law. Let’s conduct ourselves in a manner that doesn’t give consideration to the legislation of criminal laws to fight this pandemic.
Falsehoods continue to abound during these times, in the process inviting and harbouring denials, irrational explanations and alternative remedies. Presently there is an overkill of “treatments” and prophylactic medicinal potions circulating on the World Wide Web. These “miracle brews and concoctions” were revealed to a “chosen few” whose spiritual apprehension of divine cure and knowledge somehow seems to be eluding the inhabitants of all the laboratories currently engaged in tirelessly pursuing cures.
So, while the world is forced to patiently endure awaiting the eureka moment from our heroes and heroines of medical science these “healers” and “soothsayers” will be immersed in aggressive marketing and distribution of their elixir. And I anticipate this will incur greater costs than benefits, some as severe as permanent physical damage or even death. Nevertheless they will continue to champion their healing prowess, but I am confident they will be unable to prove if it was as a result of the potency of their concoctions or just a case of placebo effect.
Marcus Aurelius while on his dying bed said, “Weep not for me, think rather of the pestilence and the deaths of so many others.” Marcus would have entreated us to keep calm and carry on, nothing is unending you just need to be strong and gracious to get through it. He would have invited us to invoke the spirit of the Stoics; remain virtuous and continue to do what is good and right for all of mankind.
Orlando Patterson
I started writing this article on Thursday, March 27, but did not send it for publication because I was waiting on the response from the Dutch government on St. Maarten’s request for legal aid. Article 36 of the Charter.
Dear Editor,
We all understand the situation of COVID-19 in this present time. And we want our government to succeed.
But let us be honest and deal with reality. In a time like this, we need people to listen and observe to see or find the best possible solution.
Phase 1 is safety, then phase 2 is economics and phase 3 should be the cure. The cure should be massive free testing to the population of St. Maarten.
Restriction and controlling people to stay home is a help but not the solution. I am very concerned our government wants us to accept this as a new way of life.
I am an optimist but optimism comes with reality and accepting truth. Our government is in denial and is not providing the real solution which is massive free testing.
They are hoping this challenge of COVID-19 just goes away, and that is not going to happen. The cure should never be bigger than the problem.
Our government is making a career out of this problem instead of tackling the problem with the real and only solution, which is massive free testing for the people of St. Maarten.
They should use a location be it a hotel or large guest house or sports complex to be a facility to house people who are under self-quarantine and isolation and are suspect and are infected with COVID-19.
Once you have that under control the possibility of spreading is greatly reduced. The next step is to continue with massive free testing.
This situation calls for funding, our leaders have to come off their high horse, humble themselves and ask the Netherlands for assistance.
The problem with us humans, we love making a career out of problems instead of tackling it head-on to get over the problem.
Conclusion: people of St.Maarten put pressure on your government to establish massive free testing of COVID-19. The mind is a terrible thing to waste.
Choices have consequences, choose wisely and choose now.
The patriot Miguel Arrindell
