Attitude
To Fear or Not to Fear, You Choose
Fear is a response to information; it creates an attitude, and it happens by choice
COVID-19 is in the news everywhere, all the time. Since the world is in lockdown, nothing else happens that gets reported in the news. COVID-19 is the main feature on every newscast. It is COVID-19 in short clips between programs, COVID-19 in the time space normally reserved for cigarette ads and other stuff that may not be sold right now, COVID-19 running in the ribbon at the bottom of the screen. COVID-19 features in hundreds of posts on every social media platform. That in itself is scary. If you are easily scared, that is.
Imagine you watch TV for three hours, since there is little else to do. And now you scroll down your favourite social media platform — Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, or whatever you find most interesting — and one post after the other has something to say about the virus. How do you react?
You phone or WhatsApp your brother, sister or a friend and all you talk about is the virus. You send emails out, and like with the phone calls you end every conversation with: “Keep safe” or “Stay at home” or “Sanitise” or “Wear your mask.”
Every newscast, every social post, every conversation impresses on us the danger, the seriousness of the situation and the importance of obeying the crisis regulations. If all this does not cause panic, little else will.
Numerous newscasts give warnings about keeping safe, how to protect yourself and your loved ones. Social posts give advice and even recipes for homemade remedies. You’ve got to try them all.
Carefully, you stick your nose out the door to see if someone is watching. Rubber gloves on, mask securely over your face, you jog to the shop closest to your home, get the ingredients — if they are among the essentials, — and you sprint home. Come, virus, we are ready for you. No entry here; we’re armed to the teeth. Or rather to the nose and throat.
But we know applying preventative measures of all kinds is only part of it. Isolation and social distancing are the most effective ways to flatten the curve of infections.
During an informative meeting at an old age home, it was stressed not to have contact with children. An old lady started wailing asking how will she cope without seeing her children for weeks. On being asked how old the children are, she replied, “They’re so young. One is 46, the other only 44.”
She was told it was OK to see them. They’re over twelve years of age. That was just before the lockdown. I can’t stop thinking of her and how she is coping now, during total lockdown.
Fear causes panic shopping
As we’ve seen at the beginning of the crisis, many items got sold out hours after the announcement of a lockdown. The only good thing is that the shelves where Bibles were kept emptied as fast as the pasta and rice shelves.
Fear and panic gripped the nation. Why? Instead of getting information, we jumped to our own conclusions after reading or hearing only half of the story. The President never said we’ll not be allowed to buy food. But all we heard was “lockdown.”
Our inability to process the correct information prevents us to prioritise. We fear the unknown because we do not investigate. Every bit of information impacts our minds if we allow it. Fear can creep in and cause panic if we don’t stop and think.
Having all that scary information churning around in your mind, you allow fear to change your attitude. Your heart rate increases, your head feels like it spins, you believe you’re in a free-fall into nothingness. An attitude of despair takes hold, and you won’t believe anything good can come out of this. So, you stop trying.
Between two extreme reactions to all this info, good and bad, there are a few who keep the balance. Some react with emotional overload, stock up on food and sanitise everything in sight. In itself, it is not a bad thing, as long as we keep paranoia at bay. If this is you, kindly consider your neighbour and leave something on the shop shelves for the next person.
On the other end of the pendulum swing, people put their heads in the sand telling themselves it is not that serious and please stop spreading panic news. If this is you, please don’t shoot the messenger who showers you with too much info. His intention is to save your life.
But before news is spread, we should make sure it is authentic. Check the source and compare with other sources. In case news that has already been spread later proves to be half-truths or completely false, let’s not jump on one another’s heads. Be patient, kind and accommodating towards one another. Everyone reacts to information in a different way.
Only the few in the centre absorb all news, all info, good and bad, and process it so that they can distinguish between what is valid — what is a possibility and what can be discarded as fake news. The slight possibility that “fake news” might be truth, prematurely broadcast, could just happen to be what it takes to stop the “intended action” of the “conspirators” in the unlikely event of a possible conspiracy.
The virus has taken over every aspect of our lives. With little mental stimulation from outside, we tend to dig ourselves into a rut that goes deeper as time goes by. It is essential to choose a positive attitude so that we don’t bury ourselves in doubt and fear.
It may not be easy, but it is possible to keep in mind that this too will pass. The world may not be the same as before for a long time, but we will get through to the other side. Getting there, we will decide on what action to take to repair the damage and restore what has been taken away.
Fear is not going to do any good in this situation. But we have a choice. We do not have to fear. We can choose to believe the best, do the best while waiting, and take up the task of rebuilding once it is over.
Choose your attitude
Attitude created by fear is destructive. It comes up with a problem for every solution instead of the other way round. There is a solution to every problem, depending on where you look.
Fear in itself is destructive. It freezes the mind and blocks out all logical, systematic thinking. The opposite of fear is faith.
The Father tells us in His word not to fear. The Bible tells us more than three hundred times not to fear. I take it the Father is serious about it, and if He puts it that many times in His word I guess we better pay attention.
What conclusion do we draw from this? It seems that we are not at the mercy of fear. On the contrary, we have a choice. We all have a brain and should use it. We should apply our good and healthy grey matter to make sensible choices.
Choose not to fear, but to trust the One who gives us the breath in our lungs. Do not test God by being arrogant or negligent, but believe Him when He says don’t fear. Trust Him, because nothing can separate us from His love.
Magdel Roets, writer of Christian fiction, non-fiction and poetry.
Charter member of Author Masterminds, where every reader is a friend and every writer approachable. https://authormasterminds.com/magdel-roets
This story is published in Koinonia — stories by Christians to encourage, entertain, and empower you in your faith, food, fitness, family, and fun.
We are a Smedian Publication. Find out about us and how to write for us.
