Control

 

Light at the end of the tunnel

So, what’s new with you readers? Is there anything happening out there in the world? There’s nothing to talk about. I mean, life is so dull lately. Nothing is happening.

What’s that you say? There IS something happening? How did I miss it?

I’ve been tossing around blog ideas about what to post, but I don’t know what’s appropriate at this time. My usual nature kicked into gear, going deep, and analyzing what the heck is going on and why.

There have been epidemics and pandemics before, and people didn’t stop their lives. Schools didn’t close. State governments didn’t force independently owned restaurants to close. People didn’t clean out grocery stores of toilet paper and disinfectants. Why this time?

If you’ll indulge me for this one sentence, the media is surely not helping to calm nerves.

Having said that, fear of not being able to control what happens is a big part of the panic. What is it that people can take control of to calm their fears?

There is no way to control who gets a virus. We don’t know if it will be us or a loved one. So, running to the store and buying things gives people a false sense of control. At least they’re doing something that feels productive. Yet it won’t stop a virus.

Will closing all public places down and staying locked away at home stop the spread? Maybe. But how long do we have to lock ourselves away, watch businesses fade and the economy crumble before we know if it’s safe to step outside again?

I’m not going to lie, I’m a person who likes to be in control. Years ago, I even used to try and control other people. I thought if I just said the right thing, or did the right thing, I could get a person to do what I thought was best. Thankfully, I’ve long out grown that character flaw. Unfortunately, I see that many who are put in charge have not outgrown that same flaw.

The one person I’ve always wanted to be in control of, and still do, is myself. The reason why I never experimented with drugs in my youth, was because I didn’t want something else to control me. A virus may control how my body feels, but it’s by accident. People controlling my choices, forcing me to do things against my will, well that’s something I don’t take kindly to. My automatic reflex is to fight back. In some cases (as my mother-in-law learned), I’ve been known to do the exact opposite of what I’m being told I have to do.

Digging deeper into this mess, what’s scarier than the virus to me, is peoples’ fear. A chain reaction from a virus can cause an economy to crash. Peoples’ need to have it all fixed might cause them to allow others to control them and their world. Who will those others be? Will they be Christ-like figures who can make everything better?

Of course not.

For a time, people may be willing to give up freedoms. Eventually, the reflex to fight back against control/tyranny is human nature. Somewhere down the line, if others are in control, human nature will reflex.Yeah, I went there, but there is a rainbow after a storm.

So, that’s my good news for the day. What’s yours?