Thirty-four years ago, Mr David Yeo was resting at home when he heard what he thought was a bomb exploding. He ran to his balcony to see a cloud of dust where Hotel New World stood. The building had collapsed.

"I rushed down in my singlet and slippers," Mr Yeo told The Sunday Times. "Police stopped me from entering the site, but I showed them my Red Cross (identification) and they let me in to help with rescue operations."

The Singapore Red Cross volunteer dug into the rubble with his bare hands till they bled. "I had no tools, nothing," he said. He worked alongside other rescuers, including those from the fledgling Singapore Civil Defence Force. Seventeen people were saved; 33 died.

In 2003, the severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars) virus killed people and infected healthcare workers at Tan Tock Seng Hospital. Doctors and nurses from other hospitals stepped in to reinforce numbers. Ordinary citizens helped with contact tracing.

In 2013, when thick haze choked the air, the army, together with ordinary citizens, distributed masks to 200,000 lower-income households. Supermarkets donated emergency food packs.

Such spontaneous acts of generosity and kindness have been part and parcel of Singapore's history, despite Singaporeans' self-professed kiasu-(fear of losing) and kiasi-ism (fear of dying). Resilience - often defined as the ability to withstand adversity, adapt to change, and bounce back from challenges - was on fine display then.

It was also the buzzword of the $48.4 billion supplementary budget that Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat unveiled on March 26 to tackle the Covid-19 pandemic. About 10 years ago, a similarly named $20.5 billion Resilience Package was delivered to save jobs and keep businesses open during the global financial crisis.

INDIVIDUAL AND SOCIAL RESILIENCE

While the Government described those two packages in terms of resilience, it is a quality that cannot be just about support for the state in tough times.

It is about getting through the sense of helplessness or fear one feels when confronted with threats such as a potentially lethal virus beyond one's control.

"It means acknowledging and being aware of the distress, and continuing to choose actions that lead you closer to your valued direction," says Singapore Psychological Society president Cherie Chan.

Psychology professor David Chan, the director of Singapore Management University's (SMU) Behavioural Sciences Institute, says that, collectively, the resilience of a people and society can make or break the ability of leaders and organisations to deal effectively with challenges such as the Covid-19 pandemic.

Says SMU law don Eugene Tan: "In a crisis, what needs to be done is often quite clear. What is not so clear is whether society is able to carry out what needs to be done and put the community ahead of the individual."

COVID-19: A DIFFERENT BALL GAME

Singaporeans' unity, and nationally shared emotions, was evident during events such as the Hotel New World collapse in 1986, SQ117 plane hijack in 1991, and the death of founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew in 2015 - from volunteers prising apart rubble during rescue operations, to Singaporeans turning up by the thousands in the rain to bid their final farewell to Mr Lee.

But the difference? They were single, powerful events, not a prolonged one like the Covid-19 outbreak that has directly affected every domain of people's lives.

Hence, says Prof Chan, it is more instructive to look at how people responded to the 1997 Asian financial crisis and 2003 Sars outbreak, which took place over at least several months. "In Sars, we saw how initial fear and anxiety were countered by the courage and compassion of our healthcare and front-line officers," he says.

But the current pandemic is a potent combination of life and death concerns, as well as economic ones, says SMU's Dr Tan. Fears of falling ill to the virus could be compounded by more tangible worries of food shortage, if supply lines are crippled. Countries such as Vietnam have suspended new rice exports to protect their domestic supplies.

In short, Covid-19 has made resilience more complicated and uncertain. "We know the whole-of-government approach is necessary but inadequate. A whole-of-society mindset is a different ball game altogether," Dr Tan says.

The concern goes beyond fiscal resources, to whether society can remain cohesive as jobs, and even food and essentials, become scarcer.

The recent panic buying and hoarding are a case in point, Dr Tan says. "In the face of anti-social, irresponsible conduct, how will society clamp down on such behaviour?"

Resilience is a noble ideal. But there are some who cannot cope with the high level of uncertainty, despite official exhortations to remain strong and prepared.

Dr Tan asks: "What if resilience itself is not resilient enough?"

BUILDING RESILIENCE

Building resilience begins with the individual, and this means taking three steps: accepting, acknowledging, and committing, says Singapore Psychological Society's Dr Chan.

Accepting that this is a terrible and uncertain situation that everyone is thrown into. Acknowledging that one does not have to like it. Committing to the 3Cs:

• Connect with others, from the supermarket cashier to the cleaning lady;

• Contribute in small ways such as buying takeaway from local eateries and donating excess items; and

• Care - keep physically and mentally well, and check in on friends and colleagues while keeping a safe distance.

Dr Huang Wanping, head and principal psychologist at Tan Tock Seng Hospital, says it is helpful to stay in the present moment, focus on what one can do and do it well, including practising good personal hygiene and choosing to stay safe by staying at home.

"The story we tell ourselves is important in shaping how resilient we are," she says.

"It can be a disempowering story where things seem bleak, which leads to feelings of powerlessness. Alternatively, it can be an empowering one - that while the situation seems tough currently, this storm will pass."

The tricky thing about resilience is that it can change over time. It depends on one's past and present experiences, including how one is treated. That is why one can never take it for granted, says SMU's Prof Chan.

"A negative spiral will occur quickly if we forget that resilience is based on trust, commitment, values and concern for others. All these take time to build, and they develop over time in people's lived experiences."

He points out two critical areas that Singapore cannot afford to erode, if it wishes to stay strong.

One is people's trust in their leaders' competence, integrity and benevolence.

This trust increases when the Government solves problems and delivers on its promises; is accountable, transparent, objective and fair when making decisions; says what it means and means what it says; and understands, empathises with and prioritises Singaporeans' needs and concerns.

The second is the ability to change attitudes and actions, so that everyone becomes more socially responsible.

Five elements - values, image, norms, convenience and enforcement - can be used to reinforce positive behaviour.

They involve appealing to one's values, self-image and public image; building shared cultural standards and social expectations of what is appropriate; making hygiene items and control measures simple and convenient; and complying with these measures strictly.

"How well or poorly we do in these two areas will directly affect our resilience, and whether we can get out of this outbreak quicker, with less damage and emerge stronger," SMU's Prof Chan says.

A WHOLE-OF-SOCIETY EFFORT

The man who rushed to help in the Hotel New World disaster, Mr Yeo, now 67 and working in digital advertising, still volunteers with the Singapore Red Cross.

He is impressed by the safe distancing measures put in place and urges Singaporeans not to take them for granted.

"Back then (during the Hotel New World collapse), we had no proper standard operating procedures - I just pulled up the soil, saw a survivor and dragged the person out," he says.

"We've become better (at having proper protocols). This is a serious pandemic, people need to exercise individual responsibility and not hold gatherings."

Last Friday, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong announced stricter control measures starting on Tuesday, from shutting - for now - most workplaces and schools, to barring dine-in services at all food and beverage outlets.

The authorities have urged businesses to trim other costs instead of hastily cutting wages and jobs.

The Manpower Ministry has cracked down on companies that have not made serious efforts to put in place work-from-home arrangements, by issuing stop-work orders.

Additional steps to help businesses and workers are expected to be announced in Parliament tomorrow. Taken together with the Resilience Budget, these moves by the Government are a combination of financial support, moral suasion and legal measures.

But it is now up to Singaporeans to recognise that everyone is in this together, and that all must exercise social responsibility.

This, and a stoutness of mind and heart among its people, will position the Republic to weather each storm better than any government response alone can.

From nurses caring for their patients, to business owners keeping their staff despite the odds, Insight looks at five stories of resilience, initiative and generosity during these difficult times.

This is whole-of-society resilience. This is SG United.