Wisdom in the Midst of Panic

The attack of the Coronavirus has generated some very odd behavior. Of course, the mainstream media absolutely love it. It gives them a perfect, long-term, catastrophic story, one they'll milk for months. And it provides a wonderful opportunity to blame it all on the primary object of their hatred: President Trump. Encouraging panic and pessimism has become their goal and they just can't help themselves. Judging by the behavior of many Americans, it would seem they have been successful.

On Friday I stopped by a local Winn Dixie supermarket here in The Villages, just to pick up a few items. The parking lot was jammed and I had to park 100 yards from the front entrance. I couldn't believe the crowds. The store, too, was jammed. The aisles were filled with people stuffing their shopping carts with anything and everything -- lots of toilet paper, paper towels, detergent, bottled water, zip locks, frozen foods, canned goods... I've never seen anything like it, even before a hurricane. It was all very odd. 

Stockpiling in a Box Store

Fortunately, my shopping list was short -- milk, crackers, cheese, and cheap wine -- so I moved straight to the express checkout line. Although there were about ten people in front of me, the line moved quickly. 

As I neared the checkout counter I noticed the woman standing in line directly behind me. A bleached blonde, she was elderly (older than me anyway) and was shaking her head as she looked at all the shoppers. She then turned to me, laughed aloud, and said, with a bit of a brogue, "Bunch of fools, buying all that toilet paper. In Ireland we couldn't afford it and had to use newspaper and it worked quite well. People in America act like little rich children."

I thought this demanded some kind of response, so I said, "Over here the country folk used to put the huge Sears-Roebuck catalog in the outhouse where I suppose it served the same purpose as your Irish newspapers. Of course in these days of online shopping and empty shopping malls, the old Sears catalog is long gone." Then, as I began to place my few items on the checkout counter, I heard her say, "Too damned bad. You've become a nation of spoiled brats."

Although I certainly appreciate the availability of low-cost toilet paper, I also appreciate her sentiment. We have indeed become a wee bit spoiled and the possibility of doing without any one of our modern conveniences has led many to raid the local supermarkets and box stores. I'd like to think that as a people we could learn from this viral pandemic and draw together as we face a common foe, but it seems we would rather fight each other for the last package of toilet paper. It's all very sad, and doesn't bode well for the future.