Pohnpei Cultural Day – A photographic retrospective from happier days

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Category: Opinion

Published: Thursday, 23 April 2020 23:39

Written by Bill Jaynes

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An opinion by Bill Jaynes

The Kaselehlie Press

March 31, 2020

Pohnpei—Due to the insidious threat of COVID-19 that has engulfed the world, official Pohnpei and FSM Cultural Day events were canceled this year.  While it is vital that we all remain safe as the threat looms over the nation, one can’t help but feel a sense of nostalgia at what was temporarily lost.

All too many people seem not to be taking the threat seriously and are stridently continuing to gather in large groups such as at church services, sakau markets, and in other places. With school canceled, many students are still assembling in large groups of their friends, roaming from place to place. People are still sharing betel nut and are still spitting in the streets. But it is vital to everyone that we ALL realize the seriousness of the threat and take directed precautions such as diligent hand washing. You may be young and healthy and you may think that you are invulnerable but not all of us are. To date 69,309 people have died from this terrible virus. Nearly 1.3 million people have been diagnosed with a certainty as having the disease but no one knows how many millions of people have either not yet showed symptoms who will eventually get the disease or who are carriers who will never display symptoms.

We just don’t know, and perhaps, the not knowing is the scariest part of all. I have seen written opinions saying that we are perfectly safe since the government has shut down the borders.  But we can’t know that and to assume that is true is to throw caution to the wind like so much confetti.

If you don’t care about yourself, please show care for the other people on your island by heeding what is for now only a strong recommendation from the government rather than a directive. Don’t count on someone else. Do it yourself. There may yet come a day when the government will be forced to lock down by directive.

There WILL come a day when we can once again gather together, and that will be a joyful day.  For now, we have our memories and anticipation of things that will one day come again.  Meanwhile, enjoy some photos of happier days and smile.