Within the past two days, I received word that both universities where I teach are implementing contingency plans to completely shut down to stop the Coronavirus from spreading. It seemed a bit extreme to me and, but I have been known to be somewhat of a cynic.
No doubt, the threat of the Coronavirus is real, but what if all the publicity is serving as a giant distraction from much more significant threats to human health and well-being?
Could it be that the news media and governmental agencies are creating panic and fear instead of providing helpful information?
I ask these questions because I saw a Facebook post with lots of statistics. Being cynical about Facebook posts, I did some research, and I learned that the most people who died from the Corona virus in a single day in February 2020 in China was 108.
Contrast that with the fact that on average, every day in the United States alone, over 26,000 die from cancer, 24,500 die from heart disease, 4,000 die from diabetes, 120 people commit suicide (including 17 adolescents), and 42 people are murdered. Every Day in the U.S.!
If we look at the world in general, over 27,000 die from mosquito bites every day and every day on average more than 200 people die from snake bites. In addition, the World Health Organization reports that over 9,700 people die every day from drinking unsafe water. Worldwide, over 3,000 adolescents and over 16,000 babies and children die from mostly preventable causes each day. Where are the headlines about this?
As of this writing, 11 people in the US have died from the Coronavirus. I’m sure that number will rise, but why is it that so much time, energy, and money is being devoted to contingency plans regarding the Coronavirus to the neglect of other very significant issues?
Admittedly, I sometimes have trouble controlling my skepticism, but it seems to me that we are living in a time where both our government and the media are thriving by using fear to motivate us.
Think about it: more adolescents are going to commit suicide today in the US than have died altogether from the Coronavirus world-wide, yet there are websites devoted to helping parents know how to talk with their children about the Coronavirus. How many parents are talking with their teens about suicide? How many are talking to them about depression and feeling anxious in what seems to be an increasingly scary world? Over 1,100 women will be sexually assaulted today in the US. What are we doing to protect these individuals?
I don’t mean to trivialize the number of people who will ultimately succumb to the Coronavirus, but this is a plea for us to keep life in perspective. This is an invitation for us all to take seriously the issue of self-care in its broadest sense. This is an invitation to move into our Magnificence and not allow ourselves to be distracted by the hype and drama that the media uses to attract followers. This is an invitation to look at the big picture. This is an invitation for us to be informed about threats to our well-being that are significantly more menacing.
What if we were as fastidious about protecting ourselves from toxic people as we are from people who might have a virus? What if we were as concerned about the epidemic of depression and feelings of hopelessness in our society? What if we were as committed to protecting our mental health as the media and social institutions are about wanting to protect us from the effects of this virus?
This is an invitation to put life in perspective, and commit ourselves to focus on the more immediate and complex threats to our health and well-being.
The extent to which you accept my invitation is the extent to which you’ll be able to say, “I feel good about being me!” … and that’s a promise!
P.S. In the meantime, remember to wash your hands and cough into your elbow!
