A Time to Panic?
By Chris Gregor
Walking through the grocery store the other day, I was a little surprised to find many of the shelves that were usually stocked full of boxed and canned goods were almost empty. After pausing a moment to contemplate what might be the cause of this shortage, it finally came to me… the Coronavirus. Human beings are so predictable. At the first mention of a snowstorm, or rising gas prices, or some unknown pathogen we’ve never heard of before – we immediately presume the worst-case scenario and prepare for disaster. It only takes one individual to start a stampede. The rest of the herd is just following their instincts.
Of course, this left me with quite a dilemma. Whether the coming weeks will bring on a new incarnation of the black death or simply conclude another normal flu season, one thing is for certain: if I want to have any bread or milk next week… I’d better buy some now. So, here I am following the herd.
All of this is possible because humanity possesses an incredible ability – Imagination. We look at the world around us and invent innumerable future scenarios in our mind. We disregard most of them because they are too improbable, but every now and then one will grab our attention enough to change our behavior. We are driving through our neighborhood and we see some kids playing ball in their front yard. We imagine one kid hitting the ball into the street and the other kids pursue, so intent on making the play that they don’t see you. Well, our minds can see all too clearly how that would end, so we decide to slow down. We may even time our passing to happen between pitches.
Imagination is the hallmark of an intelligent and adaptable mind. And this power to gaze into the future and change our actions accordingly is quite remarkable when we think about it, but it does come with a cost. Most of the futures we dream up never happen. Most of us have experienced that uneasy feeling when we realize a family member didn’t come home when they were supposed to. At first we reassure ourselves that everything is fine: your spouse just had to work late, or got stuck in traffic; your child’s practice went long and they caught a ride home with a friend, but forgot to call. But as the minutes drag on, we begin to dream up some frightening scenarios. When they do arrive home (with a reasonable explanation) we are relieved. Nothing we imagined was real…but the anxiety we felt WAS real.
We’ve been told “90% of what we worry about never happens” and from the research I’ve read, that number is rather accurate. But the stress that results from that worry does “happen”. Life gives us numerous reasons to worry: health, finances, job security, college tuition, retirement. But worry doesn’t give us solutions to the problems we face. In fact, worry makes finding a lasting solution more difficult.
As a young man, I was given the advice “never make an important decision when angry.” As time passed, I understood this applies to any highly emotional state. Trying to deal with a problem when angry or afraid is a fool’s errand. We simply aren’t equipped to handle the task. The part of our brain that thinks and plans using reason and experience is pushed into the backseat, while the part of our brain that drives us to run, or fight, or hide is behind the wheel. Instinct takes over – we don’t think, we react. (This is why passing laws immediately following a national catastrophe is such a bad idea.) Fear, induced by worry, can lead us to make some bad choices – choices that are not thought out, just felt.
We read in Ecclesiastes that there is “a time for every purpose” (Ecc. 3:1) and then we are given a list of activities which have their appropriate times. There is a time for pleasant things: to laugh, to dance and to love. There is a time for unpleasant things: to mourn, to fight and even to hate. It seems the ebb and flow of life will require distinct responses to various circumstances and the quality of our life may depend on knowing the difference. But did you notice anything missing from that list? It never mentions a time to panic. When we panic, we allow our fears to master us. Panic will drain our finances, sour a relationship, and, in an emergency, can cost us our life. There is no place for panic in a healthy life.
Nobody knows what tomorrow will bring. It may bring us days that are joyous and carefree. It may bring us days filled with adversity. Some days will require us to face them with courage and determination, others will involve perseverance and sacrifice. But one thing is certain… no day requires panic.
