Tag: Fear Page 4 of 9

Once upon a time a long time ago there existed a benevolent destination called the Internet.

In the beginning, people said the Internet’s potential was limitless.

That it had the ability to singlehandedly change people’s lives for the better like nothing else ever before.

Then came social media.

Facebook. Twitter. LinkedIn. Other Stuff.

Social media’s promise was as a platform for efficient information exchange by average people to bring together not only friends, family, but also strangers alike across the globe.

This platform featuring the built-in pulpit for anyone who wanted to avail themselves of it was going to change the world by virtue of giving a voice to anyone who logged on and chose to broadcast.

Then Facebook went from a way to share the latest photos of your kid to a place where mistruths, division, and hate became commonplace.

Now that we need the Internet to realize its original promise more than ever is it even possible for that to come to pass?

Social media is diverse and inclusive in the sense that it provides the opportunity for us all to appear misguided, misinformed and just plain out of touch based on the kinds of things we post

And that’s alright.

Because we all post stupid or at least ridiculous things to it. I am guilty of both the former as well as the latter.

The bogeyman is here

We can’t see him.

We can’t smell him.

We can’t taste him.

We don’t know where, when or why he’s coming.

But he is. Coming.

And that’s scary.

An invisible adversary with bad intentions that doesn’t care how secure your bunker is or how much of anything you may have in reserve.

It’s the kind of enemy that activates your fear pumps, triggering panic in many cases.

Toilet paper runs.

Soap and sanitizer shortages.

Ramen-less shelves at grocery stores.

Lines wrapped around Costco.

Will those who have stockpiled all the items that have disappeared off the shelves share with those who did not rush out to over-purchase? Or will they keep all of their surpluses to themselves?

Getting yours

Everyone wants to get theirs, get their own, so they won’t run out.

Panic buying is contagious.

If you go to the store intending to just pick up bread and milk and see everyone else’s shopping carts overflowing with bulk item quantities, it’s hard to at least not think you may miss out if you don’t in turn overbuy.

The supply chains to food, fuel, and goods are still in place and functioning.

Stores are miraculously restocked overnight. After being ravaged during the course of any given day, products are restored by the start of the next day by the people whose job it is to do so.

Panic buying is unnecessary. It creates a greater degree of disruption than should be.

And things like price gouging are an unfortunate byproduct of panic buying.

The irony in all of this is that those who shop normally and those who over purchase both share the same fate in that they will eventually run out of what it is they have.

The bogeyman doesn’t discriminate and neither should you.

Perhaps it’s time to put our differences aside, remain calm and once again consider working together.