Humans are ritualistic by nature. Even as some have declared that we have no need of religion, we are still bound by ritual; creating procedures, promulgating protocols and going through the motions. No one can witness someone breaking rules and leave without an opinion of the delinquent.

As things change so are the rituals. Traditions adapt to changes caused by paradigm shifts while keeping the spirit of the ritual. In drastic changes things are a bit different, and maybe even traditions get relagated.

I'm talking about all this because for want of sanitation we get insanity. Everything changed in an instant, and now we're trying to live both in a germ-free world and the cloud at the same time.

Any time someone risks leaving the house, he has to mask up and be wary of being too close to someone else. Now he sees everyone as a risk, as the virus can enter without a symptom. In this view he must also see himself as a possible victim, as who knows how he will get this virus that flies through the air.

Stores are barely functioning in this emptiness, enforcing preventive measures defeated by merely having people outside buy stuff. If the lines are hundred people does it matter if they're spaced apart? What we have is a crowd that denies itself to be one. 

And you can't even go outside in the first place without a good reason. What an unbearable existence.

Returning to the store he must deem himself clean by leaving everything he bought in a decontamination zone and immediately head to the showers to cleanse himself. If handwashing was effective then no one will have acquired this disease, therefore everything must be cleaned.

Failure to follow any of this will result in the off-chance that someone gets infected one way or another, we never really know how this thing does its magic. If someone gets it it's because of not following protocol, if all is safe then it means the protocol is working regardless of efficacy. We will do it because we think it works and fear disaster if we do not do so.

Thus the possible creation of a new ritual, a ritual that can be linked to life and death thus making its importance that much higher. Say whatever you can about how some rituals are connected to luck or spiritual matters, by the time you convince that doing something makes them less likely to die they will do it as often as they can.

Of course we don't say such connections outright. We have to frame it in the language of chances and correlations, not that it matters as it translates to the people as if-then actions. It doesn't matter if there are other factors in play, this thing will ensure I'll be less likely to get it. Taken to its extreme you may find yourself taking every bit of advice on TV and doing things you won't do otherwise, even if it looks ridiculous. What an unbearable existence.

This segue is important as sometimes goods have to be bought from the dreaded outside world, by couriers who are seen as brave in this period of time, and they have in your doorstep something that might have the virus. It can remain on surfaces, and anything that is matter has a surface.

In any other circumstance will you not wipe a package of bread with disinfectant, but you can't risk it now, can you? You've gone this far. Now every foodstuff has to be cleaned before they're opened, and later on you'll have to clean every other item you bought. 

If you find yourself realizing you're putting alcohol on yourself to pick up another bottle of alcohol, it's probably too late. What an unbearable existence.

Finally, what of the old rituals, like work and play? We have that covered too. This is different than whatever I have been talking about as we are witnessing the changes in things being done. Conferences on Zoom, shows being done in houses, the pretense of exploration, there is almost no need to go outside, we have everything for you. You don't want to die, do you?

I guess we have to pretend. This video call is as good as face-to-face, the picture of the place you wanted to visit until all this happen is almost like being there and things will be done at this meetin- hey, come back. 

Stay in, it's for the better, we'll make up for it by distracting you enough. Don't think about the consequences of this, because the losses will only happen if you disobey. Every thing you do is for your safety, no matter how asinine, so please keep doing them.

There will not be a new normal after this. After all the fear that this virus gave the populace it's impossible that there won't be societal consequences; even if a cure is found we will no longer be as reckless as before, and we will keep on doing the rituals that we have made when we were still in a state of doing anything to keep the plague from approaching us. Just like the story of the newlywed bride cutting the sides of the roast before putting it in the oven, we might keep on doing these and not know what they mean. 

Some rituals fall out of favor when it no longer serves any purpose. How long will these rituals that we have made, as a necessity of these times, continue? Even after the cure these preventions will be done, way after its practicality, just like a man who cannot stop lining books up until they're even.

What an unbearable existence.

In the Decameron, Giovanni Boccaccio started his story collection with a grim look at a Florence affected by the Black Plague. People dying left and right in a terrible way, bodies being sent out for disposal in droves, it's a plague that confounded the populace from the doctor to the friar to the layman. Everyone was scrambling to find a way to avoid the fate of the rest, to varying effect. And during all this, ten young people decide to flee to the countryside and tell stories.

Sadly, this countryside is nowhere to be found today, not physically. 

As of this writing, the Philippines is in a lockdown of sorts, already in its fourth tedious week, my waning sense of time probably making me miss the mark. A new plague came, but unlike the people of 14th century Europe, better measures have been made to combat this disease. But the images of bodies dropping still remain in the form of numbers on the screen, and as much as no one can even approach those inflicted by the bubonic, neither can anyone else touch those who has the corona. People die in solitude and are not allowed to mourn for. It will be a surprise if merely touching the clothes of those who had been infected will also cause contagion.

The advice is obvious: remain indoors. Businesses are closed and no one is allowed outside for no reason. The television offers nothing but reruns and news updates, connected by the repetition of things. This can't go on forever, but while Boccaccio chronicled 10 days, the lockdown is expected to last a month.

I'm saying all this because I have been stuck in this house ever since the start of this quarantine. With only cable and an internet connection to get by it's not as fun as my usual routine as I cannot simply leave for whatever matter. We can still buy supplies, but with supermarkets almost running out of stuff and the risk of getting something else for free in there, shopping is kept to a minimum.

Right now I'm not alone, my family is also stuck in this place, with the only person with a job not going in for he has other health issues to deal with and possibly adding another one isn't worth it. My niece goes on with her usual ways through all this, a bit oblivious to the events around her, something may be a bit off, but whether she notices it is not for me to know.

Board games are not a good idea as the child will simply spoil everything, and I have no want to talk to them about my current state of affairs, so most of my conversations have been online. Also online is where I look for things to waste time, and find that I had wasted it too much for my liking. My plans to write or read tends to get overriden by useless things.

A few days ago an argument broke out at home, and now I have to witness my mother and my sister not giving each other any notice whatsoever. My sister ask why I get affected, but how depressing a sight is it to see a mother and daughter try to avoid each other? The place has become quiet, and not even the cheerful noise of my niece can fix that.

Some things you can never take for granted, you don't know what it is you have until it's gone. It's easy to noticed how one's mundane activities were once circumstances force him into a new habit. Being stuck in this house makes me miss for those one would not usually miss, and I don't even go out often.

The places that are usually busy are silent, the loudest of districts has become ghost towns, this is an unusual sight for anyone. Also jarring is how social life has to pause, keep its distance. Even an interaction with a stranger has to make way for safety, everyone is a possible carrier and it's not worth risking it.

What isn't silent are the hospitals and media places, patrols and borders; somehow the country must keep going, even with a terribly undermanned staff. Medical facilities are busy, goods still have to be distributed and the deliverymen must deliver through the deserted roads filled with an unkown air.

The Decameron concluded with the three boys and seven girls heading home and moving on with their lives. I hope for the day where we can go outside and see the sights again, the places and experiences. For now, a short walk away feels like miles.