SAVE YOUR TOILET PAPER, YOU NEVER KNOW

You probably asked yourself, when is he going to write about the “coronavirus?” Well fear not. Today is the day. 

In my lifetime and with a study of recent history, I cannot find or remember any time when the entire world has been brought to its knees by the threat of an upper respiratory infection. This essay will not attempt to underestimate this virus and its potential deadly results. I am sure in the right situation it can and does kill. But it also seems most people who are infected recover with no ill effects. So far the ones in this country who have died from this disease have been older individuals who were otherwise compromised by existing preconditions and general frailty. 

What continues to confound me is the effort by the media all over the world to frighten people. Sporting events have been canceled. Movies, restaurants and bars are closing. Gatherings of any size are just not happening. At a time when people want to escape their homes after a long winter, everything is closed down. Schools and colleges are just shutting down. Events long in the planning are being summarily eliminated without regard to the millions being lost in the process.

Don’t even try to go to the grocery store. The crowds are massive and the shelves are empty. Traffic is unbelievable. It seems everybody is trying to stock up on toilet paper and anything else they think they might need. My question is, for what? Toilet paper? What’s that all about? 

The Stock Market has given away trillions of dollars in value as frightened traders bail out on their investment plans. Do they figure that the world is coming to an end? Millions of people will either be laid off or otherwise lose their jobs. Sporting events and their venues will face huge losses as this charade plays out. And for what?

Now, I am going to make some predictions. I’ll preface this by assuring you all that I am no expert on anything. I am not a medical doctor. I am not a prophet. What I am is just a normal man who is overwhelmed by the recent few days and the irrational response by our governments and our people. The sky is not falling and we are not all going to die. At least not from the coronavirus. The odds are more likely that an airplane will fall from the sky and hit you on your head. Far more people will die from the seasonal flu than will ever be affected by this new virus. In fact the numbers are not even close.

So, what’s this all about? This column is about the good news. In this country with a population of approximately 350,000,000, only 81 people have died from this new disease. If you were trying to calculate odds, you couldn’t even come up with a number of what the odds of dying from the corona virus could be. How many people do you suppose have been killed in car accidents in the last two months, which is how long we have been dealing with this virus? I heard recently 81 deaths is just a good weekend in Chicago. I would imagine more people would die from bee stings than from this virus. 

I am not making light of all this. I am just pointing out the silliness of the world wide panic. In a couple of months this “pandemic” will be behind us. We will turn on our television news and actually see news. Oh, and there will be other things to frighten us. That just seems to be the way things are. 

In the meantime, be safe. Wash your hands. Practice good hygiene. Don’t give in to the fear that is being spread. And, for goodness sake, guard your toilet paper. You never know.

Ron Scarbro March 17, 2020