I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the war and how it affects all of us especially here in the Philippines.
We’re a third-world country. People are paid so little, and yet everything just keeps getting more expensive. Gas alone tomorrow it’s going to be 94 pesos per liter for 95 octane, which is what I use for my car. And I’m already feeling the stress of that.
My work pays the bills and then some, but that doesn’t erase the worry. But if I’m already feeling this kind of pressure, what more for those who have less financial cushion?
Food prices are really, really high.
I was talking to my cousin recently. Her work puts her among the country’s best-compensated professionals, and her husband also has a really great job. They’re both doing well. And even she said she’s worried.
That stuck with me.
Because if people like her people who are stable, who are doing well are worried too, then what does that say about the rest of us?
And I honestly don’t know if what people are earning is still enough to live on. Not just to survive but to live with some kind of peace, some kind of security.
And I worry about the future.
I think about what’s going to happen to the world. If the war is going to stop. If things are going to stabilize. If money will still be enough for the things we need. If we’ll still be able to live our lives without constantly calculating, adjusting, worrying.
We’re also getting older. Hospital bills will go up. That’s just reality. And that adds another layer of uncertainty that’s hard to ignore.
Sometimes I think about what it would feel like if I had kids. And I realize I would probably have anxiety all the time. Thinking about their future, their safety, the kind of world they’re growing up in.
And right now, I feel grateful, but that gratitude doesn’t erase the worry. I have my husband. My family is healthy. We’re okay. But I’m still worried.
BECAUSE WE'RE NOT RICH.
And I don’t think we’re alone in feeling this. I don’t think it’s just people who are just getting by who are worried. Even those of us who are employed, who are stable, who are doing “okay” we’re still thinking about all of this.
Because unless you’re truly wealthy, I don’t think you’re untouched by these worries.
I guess what I’m trying to say is this isn’t coming from a place of judgment. It’s not about comparing struggles.
It’s just coming from a place of uncertainty.
And maybe, if you’re feeling the same way, you’re not alone.
I think a lot of us are just quietly carrying this going to work, doing our routines, trying to be grateful for what we have.. while at the same time wondering if it’s going to be enough in the future.
I don’t have answers. I don’t even know if things will get better or worse.
I just know that right now, I’m grateful.. and I’m worried. And I have a feeling a lot of us are living in that same space.
.jfif)
