One Starves, We Starve

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) spread globally since the last two months. Still severe deaths were arising in some countries. There are no cases of COVID 19 heard in Burma until the 24th March announcement confirmed in Myanmar news.

That announcement immediately threatened Myanmar people. They rushed to buy food at supermarkets in Yangon and also on the street markets. Yes, of course. They are afraid of their tomorrows, the day after tomorrows, and the days after, after tomorrows, etc.





(Sadly the announcement breaks my heart when I arrived in the early morning at the gate of 'Sunlun Gukyaung Vipassana Meditation Centre' on the 25th March of 2020.
‘No meditating yogis allowed until the end of the Thingyan Festival.’)


I was so shock to face the situation suddenly bravely. I was reading Update News from some sources of the world and I had not finished it yet when the realities of the present were now knocking at our doors. I heard the cry of COVID 19 war all over the world so far. I still shivered to write what I felt and thoughts, do not know it will be happy-ending?

Some advised me to buy food and store it at home as much as possible. Some said I should have to keep money in hand in case of lock down. My neighbor warned me that I have to keep a large amount of meat in the refrigerator. I was afraid to hear such things in the day. At first I thought I should have to follow their advice. But I thought over and over again. I kept thinking about my grandma. What does grandma do if she met such a terrible situation? Tell me grandma, please tell me. Grandma always said, “I never panic-buying when I met the situation in war time. One starves, we starve." It was just an old saying, I thought at that time.




(What I am going to buy first? How many eggs, or vegetables or meat? Shall I buy them serving for a week, or for ten days? Would 20 eggs be enough? The vegetables will be fresh for sure? The rice will be good forever? I heard grandma said, ‘One starves, we starve.’)

(Illustrated by Maung Yit.)


I went to the market and wandered what I was going to buy. I heard grandma said to me, 'One starves, we starve.' I now digging out her old saying from the grave burying so many years ago. Grandma would be happy or proud of her stupid granddaughter for having a chance, and always ready to obey whatever her grandy says.