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Tuesday, March 10, 2020

Prophets of doom

I've noticed some people, from all walks of life - including physicians, virologists, and epidemiologists - seem to be stuck in this rut where it's all about how bad the coronavirus is going to be, how we're not being told the truth about how bad it will be, and so on. All their tweets are retweeting other prophets of doom. It's disaster 24/7.

Now, I grant it could well be that the forecast is extremely gloomy. The coronavirus could end up being catastrophic for our nation and the world.

However, we're not there yet. The future hasn't come. We're still in the present.

Hence, why not attempt to focus on what we can do to stem the tide of the coronavirus right now? Begin to change one's mindset from shock and dismay to grim determination to salvage a situation even if it appears to be unsalvageable? What other choice do we have even if it's so bad? Lay down and die?

Just to be clear, I'm not criticizing people for pointing out that the coronavirus is worse than what's reported in the media. It's good to face the facts as they are. It's also necessary for us to make sure the powers that be are doing their job and acting in the American people's best interests.

However, there are some people who are so hyperfocused on the bad that they risk paralyzing themselves. Or panicking. If enough people are like this, then it could result in mass hysteria.

We need to take aggressive action if we are to prevent the darkest timeline from unfolding. My concern is if enough people are driven to despair or start panicking. That's how societies start to unravel.

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