Real threat  

People flocked to gyms and shopping malls as the government held national immunization days. Others, on the other hand, choose to provide incentives in the form of kilos of rice and other goods to encourage people to be vaccinated. In many places, it was evident that social distancing was no longer practiced, and this did not appear to be a major worry, because the current view is that having more people in vaccination centers is preferable to having few or none at all.

We haven't been able to ascertain whether prioritization was already in place in recent days because we've seen vaccinees of all ages. Is it a sign that people are convinced because they are pressed by regulations imposed by the government and other institutions, such as at their jobs, that they cannot access or will have trouble accessing particular services because they are only available to those who have been vaccinated? For our youth, for example, they must get vaccinated in order to return to face-to-face studies next year. Or was it actually because they are afraid that the virus threat is real, despite what they have been told for the past few months?

Now that we have fewer cases, where were these people when the cases were at an all-time high? They were not threatened in any way because they needed time to be convinced. It is only at this time that they must be vaccinated in order to return to work on a regular basis, return to school as soon as possible, and conduct business without delay. These are things they're scared they won't be able to accomplish in the next weeks or months. And, for a long time, it appeared that they were not threatened by the virus itself, but rather by the fact that they were unable to return to work and perform their customary activities. And it could have been tied to economic survival and social need even before they were persuaded to get vaccinated.

We desire to survive under this kind of fear, which is a survival drive. Fear, in a way, is reassuring because it indicates that hope is alive somewhere. Fear is a wonderful indicator that our survival instincts are still intact. To stay secure, we must understand the threats.

That survival instinct, that need to live again, is more powerful than any notion of taste, decency, politeness, manners, or civility. It's a tremendous force.

We have a desire for certainty, which is present in every human being, the desire for assurance that we will be able to avoid pain and, at the very least, be comfortable in the future. It's a completely natural reaction.

We can't keep fear in our heads indefinitely. Being pulled away from our opportunities to live, to be away from our loved ones, and to be taken away from fulfilling our roles and duties that we used to do becomes a driving reason for us to have a change of heart. We can't keep living in terror for the rest of our lives. And we've gone out of our way to get away from it.