Don’t Panic

We live in interesting times.

It’s both a blessing and a curse.

Right now, it feels like the world is going crazy, and in a way it kind of is. There’s a virus sweeping the globe and the ripple effects are powerful. It’s scary and stressful and everything seems uncertain.

We all feel it.

But the worst thing to do right now is panic. You panic when you’re trapped by fire or fleeing a swarm of bees. This is going to be a slow, inexorable grind, and you’re better off seeking peace until the world finds stasis once again.

That day will come.

Believe it.

But for now, let’s focus on the reality of the situation and do our best to get through it together.

First, the bad:

This sucks

There’s no way around it. People are getting sick and some of them are dying. It’s tragic. It’s painful.

We can try to find perspective remembering the flu kills thousands every year, but that’s no consolation when a loved one hits the ICU. That won’t help anyone sleep at night when a family member starts coughing.

Losing someone sucks. I just went through it with my Dad, and it is the peak of human sadness. For every person killed by the virus, many more are thrust into mourning. Behind every death toll on the news there are widows, orphans, and grieving families left behind.

It’s okay to feel sad. It’s okay to be angry. Just do your best to show compassion in a world beset by loss.

Everything is disrupted

I’ll be the first to admit I did not think things would get this far. I knew the virus would spread and more people would get sick, but I did not expect the chaos of the past week.

Grocery stores raided. Markets in freefall. Sporting events abandoned and entire leagues shut down. Bans, cancellations, restrictions… it’s moving too fast to keep up. This was the week that everything got called off, and the domino effect has been staggering.

The experts say it’s for the best. These are necessary sacrifices to slow the spread and flatten the curve. It feels unprecedented, at least in my lifetime, but if cancelling March Madness will save thousands of lives then so be it.

In a situation like this, a pragmatic society must divert resources to the services that matter: Supply chains, public infrastructure, healthcare. Of course, that doesn’t help the average person suddenly out of a job, or those watching an industry implode before their eyes.

The economic fallout will be severe, and it begs the question: was everything always this fragile? How did we come to walk this knife edge where we could crash the economy just by staying home?

I don’t have a solution for those struggling to make ends meet. Some government stimulus will come, but it won’t put food on your table tomorrow. This is really a time when people need to look out for one another. Whether it’s family, friends, or neighbors, we all know someone who could use our help.

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So, what about the good? As scary as things seem, all is never lost.

This too shall pass

Nothing lasts forever. Not you. Not me. Not the problems of our time.

There will come a day when life goes back to normal. When we no longer live in fear of this viral scourge. Of course, normal may look somewhat different, and society may change in tangible ways. But we will move on from this. That day will come.

Sometimes, in a crisis, the most important thing to remember is that it’s temporary. You won’t be locked inside forever. People will go back to work. People will travel again. People will go to concerts and restaurants and sporting events because that’s what people do. We come together. We always will.

I don’t know if it will be next month or next year. I’m not an epidemiologist. Things might get pretty dark for a while, or they could turn over in a few months.

Until then…

You have more control than you think

Watching the news right now feels pretty helpless. It’s just a stream of crazy shit you can’t do anything about.

Don’t panic.

You are not alone. Everyone feels the same anxiety, but there are things you can do to get back in control.

Like put your phone down. Turn the TV off. Give yourself a detox and stop doom-scrolling for the next depressing take.

Take a pause. Exercise. Meditate. Pray. Listen to some music and find your mental happy place. All that noise will be there when you’re ready to check back in.

Next, focus on what matters in your life. Your family. Your friends. You can’t do anything about people dying in Italy, but you can play with your children and hug your spouse. Do it.

Stuck inside for a while? Missing work? Reach out to that old friend you haven’t spoken to in ages. Chances are you’re feeling something similar and can help each other through this trying time.

Social distancing sucks. It makes us feel isolated and alone. But we have so many tools to reach out and touch each other, even when we’re stuck inside our homes.

Finally, find something to do. Build something. Fix something. Do some work around the house. Read a book. Write a book. Learn a new language or skill.

Channel your restlessness into something positive, and you’ll have something positive to celebrate when all is said and done.

Whatever you do, remember you are not helpless. Even if the world seems to be conspiring against you, you still have agency over your own life and home.

We can learn from this

It’s little consolation now, but the world will learn some powerful lessons from COVID-19.

First, it’s a reminder of how interconnected everything is. So many of the world’s systems depend on one another, and things can fall apart quickly if we’re not prepared. It’s something we’re all aware of, in the back of our minds, but sometimes it takes a run on toilet paper to really drive the point home.

Don’t take society for granted. So many people must work together to put a letter in your mailbox or milk in your fridge. It’s beautiful. It’s harmonious. It’s also very fragile, and we only get out what we put into it as a collective.

Hopefully we use this crisis to shore up critical weaknesses in infrastructure and planning. Hopefully we learn lessons that lead to smarter cities, more engaged populations, and holistic solutions that make communities more robust.

Much of this evolution will come down to future leadership. Managers. Politicians. Public voices for change. How do we get wise, compassionate people into positions where they can make a difference? How do we shift our cultural values toward those we lean on in times of strife?

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I don’t know where we go from here. I don’t know what tomorrow, next week, or next month will bring.

Over here in Malaysia, the attitude toward coronavirus has been fairly low key. We have about 200 confirmed cases, but life has gone on more or less as normal. Maybe the virus spreads slower in the heat, or maybe the other shoe is about to drop.

My hunch is that things will get serious here before long. Schools are starting to close, Mosques are shutting down. I went to the grocery store this morning and stocked up on baby formula and rice.

Throughout everything, I take solace in the smile of my son. He doesn’t know any of this is going on, and he just wants to laugh and cuddle and play with his family. We should all strive to be so joyful.

I wish you all the best over the coming weeks. It’s a weird time, but we’re all in this together.

Use common sense. Wash your hands. Take care of each other.

Stay calm, positive, and do your best to come out stronger on the other side.

I’m always here to talk if you need me.

Godspeed.

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