Peace In The Margins

Pandemic. COVID-19. Coronavirus. All words which have become commonplace in our vernacular in recent months, and spewing forth from these terms is the unintended consequence of Fear. You writers will notice that Fear is capitalized. This is a technique where a writer capitalizes an abstract word to personify it. Thus we have Fear. And Fear, my friends, is an evil witch.

On the flip side of that coin is Caution – and she is wise. Caution realizes that this virus is deadly and indiscriminate, that precautions must be taken, that common sense actions are needed. But this Fear, does not entice a reverent awe, instead she insites panic and chaos. She makes the wisest of our species reactionary instead of precautionary. This is exactly what has happened in our world today.

Please, don’t misinterpret what I am saying. COVID-19 is serious. We humans must protect our most vulnerable. We must heed the words of the experts and do everything we can to mitigate the spread of this pandemic. Yet, we must also remain calm and look to Caution not Fear as our guide.

So, I say that to say this: I have been watching Dr. Fauci just like everyone else. He is the leading expert that all of America is turning to for education – some I believe for salvation (though I personally don’t put my eternal faith in man). When Dr. Fauci speaks, everyone listens. So, when he was featured on a Wall Street Journal podcast, hundreds of thousands tuned in to listen. The calm voice in the dark said in that podcast, “I don’t think we should ever shake hands ever again, to be honest with you.” 

(Insert image of me scratching my head in confusion here.) We should never ever shake hands again…but let’s continue to remain calm…

I’m confused. We will never again be able to do something that is ingrained into our culture – into world cultures – as an act of greeting, agreement, business transactions, etc. – yet, remain calm. It feels like a contradiction – much like the bill of sale the media is trying to push on us (listen to the COVID discussion all day long, but remain calm).

Remain calm – absolutely. Only, to promulgate Caution without Fear will require Responsibility to make an appearance, and she has been in short supply in the past few years. We are living in a decade of “Me.” The belief that the individual is more important than the whole – where as long as “I’m not hurting anyone,” then I should be able to do whatever makes “ME” happy.

This absence of Responsibility is more evident than ever now that Fear has arrived on scene. Several times every day the media tells us the new death toll numbers – the new confirmed positive cases across this nation, other nations, and the world. Fear loves hearing those numbers, because she knows that it will enhance her mission of making her more dangerous the the virus alone.

Fear causes a fight or flight response, and thus, produces the craze of hoarding toilet paper. Fear causes people to wear masks all day long in all situations (which isn’t what the CDC recommends). I’ve seen some interesting mask wearing scenarios, like a man and a woman in a car – the woman is wearing a mask but the man is not. Demonstrating, the misunderstanding of Caution’s message through the CDC recommendations.

Caution begs us to pause, take notice of the situation, and respond in a calm and intelligent manner. The complete opposite of Fear’s mission. Caution asks that we listen to the recommendations and apply them to our specific and individual situations. Caution tells us, “Yes, this is bad, but the world is not going to end. So, just take care, and follow the recommendations.”

Is this a scary time? Yes, but Fear does not have to rule over you. Instead, kick that witch to the curb. Follow Responsibility’s example and be a good neighbor, lend a helping hand when possible, and be considerate of others feelings and perceptions. Demonstrate patience, and take Caution’s advice: stay home when possible, don’t throw a party, practice social distancing, relax and read a book, turn off the News every once in a while, and know that this isn’t forever.