The world is flooded with fear and panic about a small virus that had rapidly spread from China all around the world. People are dying, the economy is facing a crisis, borders are being closed, entire countries are quarantined.
Is it right to respond to the onset of the coronavirus with fear?
FEAR AS A PRIMARY EMOTION
An emotion is created by experiencing an external or internal stimulus and attributing a certain meaning to it. If we interpret this meaning as positive, it evokes a pleasant feeling in us. However, if we assign a negative connotation to the meaning, it creates an unpleasant feeling in us. And people adapt to this feeling through adaptive behavior.
Fear is one of the most important emotions in man, as it played a crucial role in self-preservation of the human species. In prehistoric times, man survived through fear, as it warned him of the dangers that prey on him in the wilderness.
Our brains have not changed much since then and are still geared to protect their owner when they detect danger. That is why a large number of stimuli are interpreted as fear, which is no longer necessary today to such an extent, since the danger of something happening to us is much smaller today than it used to be.
CHANGING THE VIEW
It is difficult to respond to information about the coronavirus phenomenon that is constantly served to us by the media with pleasant emotions, since we are at risk.
I myself try to replace fear with a feeling of respect for the virus as a phenomenon of the mighty force of nature, and even more so try to respect and be grateful for my own health. Let’s replace fear with respect and the search for an answer to what we as individuals and as humanity can learn from it. Let’s try to take it as an opportunity to improve ourselves and others.
A positive attitude always has positive consequences. Maybe not always ones that we have foreseen, but certainly much better than those achieved by looking negatively at things. Ask any successful person whether he or she has succeeded with a negative attitude in life. I can assure you that all the answers will be the same. Ask yourself how do you see things.
Change your view. See the emergence of the virus as an opportunity to learn something and change yourself. Look at the time you spend at home as a blessing to be with your family, to read a good book, and to finally watch that movie together with your partner.
Every event in our lives is an opportunity and a lesson that we can always turn to our advantage.
BEHAVIOUR OF PEOPLE
Absence of fear does not mean that we can do stupid things. I consistently follow all the rules for protecting myself and others, but I am not afraid of the virus. I am aware that with inappropriate actions and by getting infected I will become a carrier and can infect people who are at risk and may even die as a result of that.
I am pleased to see that the vast majority of people obey the rules, but there are always individuals who are too selfish to adapt to the situation.
Let me reiterate the basic rules you need to know
– take care of hygiene
– keep a safe distance and do not expose yourself unnecessarily
– stay home
– if you notice any signs of infection, follow the instructions of medical professionals
Are they really that difficult to remember and live by?
FEAR OF NEGATIVE ECONOMIC CONSEQUENCES
I understand the fear of businessmen over the economic damage caused by governments’ response to inhibit the spread of the virus. I am a businessman myself and I know what uncertainty means since I experienced it in 2008, when my main market in Scandinavia closed overnight. I wasn’t scared, but I got on a plane, really engaged myself and came out a winner a year later. I lost some customers and money, but I learned a lot. What doesn’t kill us makes us stronger.
We are not all in the same boat, but we are all in a difficult and uncertain position. Anyone can change their attitude and turn the word fear into the word opportunity. It is not easy, but in any case, the result will be better than being crippled by fear.
SCAR ON THE FACE OF HUMANITY
Most of us will suffer no consequences despite the possible infection, while a small percentage of people are at risk of losing their lives and some will die. Are we able as a society and as individuals to come together, leave our selfishness aside and help our fellow human beings?
The coronavirus epidemic will leave a scar on the face of humanity. How deep that scar will be, depends on us.
“Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls; the most massive characters are seared with scars. ”
– Kahlil Gibran
