Observations, Part 2

As the pandemic stretches on, I’m back with a few more observations. Primarily, I observe how many people act as they do out of fear. It’s easy to be annoyed by how people behave, but when you dig deeper, they are responding to fear.

People who hoard eggs or toilet paper? These items are a literal expression of what they fear they will lose. Basic food security, and basic sanitation.

People who vent wildly about their anxiety or general “this will be bad, so bad?” They fear the loss of their specific mental health or of a general sense of normalcy.

The person who advocates for a declaration of martial law? Turns out they have a spouse on the front lines of healthcare and it’s fairly terrifying. They take an extreme position because they want to protect their spouse.

Do I also have fears? Yes, of course. I fear this crisis will indeed lead to martial law. That it will be used to justify so much interference with our voting rights that our government will slide into dictatorship, with the whole-hearted approval of those who think they personally will benefit. Citizens won’t even be able to protest because of social distancing.

Does that sound unrealistic? Look at our federal government, what it’s doing and not doing. You tell me.

The point I’m making is that we all act out our fears. And if we take the time to understand that, we might recognize the fears of others. That doesn’t make hoarding or voter interference right, but maybe we can be a little kinder to those we disagree with.

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