Time To Be The Light

I went on an IG live with a friend yesterday, promoting a new initiation called LightUpIndonesia. It is a charity initiation to help provide electricity for people who cannot pay electricity in Indonesia due to Covid-19 related reasons.

Their goal is 100K IDR per low-income family (which Indonesian in their flowery way aptly called pre-prosperous family) for a month worth of electricity, and to reach 100,000 family. 100K IDR is only 6.71 USD. I spent more on MickeyD's fries.

This is a reminder on how Covid-19 is affecting everyone globally. Unfortunately, this illness will take toll no matter what we do. Our action to mitigate this disease comes with a consequence. The health precaution gives way to economic disaster. But this is not about bashing one action over the other. This is about realizing what really happened and how one action will lead to another. 

There are people, even here in the US, who cannot afford to social distancing due to the nature of their life (work and/or living condition). A temporary closure or reduced capacity of a business will affect not only the owner and employees, but also countless others who has relationship with the business. The vendors, the vendors' supply chain, the vendors supply chain's procurers. On and on it goes.

Even in the US there are many that cannot get government's help due to their legal status or lack of identity. It is worse in countries where government assistance, even for their own citizen, is little to none. Where even electricity for an average of 85 kwh per month is not attainable for millions of people. As a comparison, average electricity usage of US household is about 900 kwh per month.

To say we, who still have jobs and means to live normally, are privileged is a huge understatement. But do not look far, 8000 miles away, to realize how lucky we are. There are others near us here in the US that is not so fortunate. 

People who must work because of their essential status like plumbers or public transportation drivers. People who cannot work because of their health made them a high risk for Covid-19.  People who tried so hard, did everything by the book, but find themselves in the verge of losing everything because of the economic impact of this disease.

I cannot urge you enough to donate, to be kind in this calamity. If you still got paid, especially if you are working from home, the stimulus check you receive or even your allocated cocktail allowance can easily go to others who need it more. Even a $20 gift card per grocery store worker in your favorite grocery store can go a long way to light up their world.

The worst is yet to come. We are forced into hiding for the unknown virus and we are about to wake up to closed businesses and crippled economy. Not just US, mind you, but global. The darkness is yet to come. It is time to be the light.