Why Are We So Afraid?

An articulate and reasoned response to the swine flu is stated here by Doctor, and Congressman, Ron Paul. He echoes the sentence that I keep in the header of every one of my blog pages, a quote from Henry David Thoreau: "If I knew for a certainty that a man was coming to my house with the conscious design of doing me good, I should run for my life."

Perspective is what we need right now, since what we're dealing with, ultimately, is nothing more than our worries, and not real problems from an actual epidemic. We're getting hourly updates to feed our worries from television. And then again from radio. Our newspapers and magazines then reaffirm our fear upon fear. The President has even held a full press conference on “the outbreak.” It's as if, as the good Congressman says in his video,

we have just been attacked once again by terrorists. Are we really that afraid of catching the flu? Or is there some other underlying fear that bothers us more?

I think this flu-induced panic is a reflection of something greater that now lies under the increasingly thin skin of American society – and obviously the societies of the rest of the world that have responded similarly. I know that a nation, or nations, of hypochondriacs isn't normal. It's strange. Eerie. Something akin to a green sky before the tornado touches down, or the waves on the beach that have suddenly stopped – and then pulled away. I feel a rumble somewhere. The world is changing. And I'm grasping, even as I sit here and write these words, that our collective consciousness must know that a big event is about to happen. I doubt totally that it's going to be the damn swine flu. But we can all feel something changing. It's as if we're all mentally preparing for – something. But what is it that we're afraid of?

I'll leave that question out there for you to answer. I think everyone is, of course, afraid of death. But that pat explanation is only a partial answer. I think the answer I'm really looking for is bigger still.

But let it not be said that impending doom can't have its opportunists. This web page reports that President Barack Obama is asking for “...$1.5 Billion to Fight Swine Flu.” As of this writing, the swine flu has killed one person in the United States. If we extrapolate, that's 1.5 billion dollars per person – just to alleviate our fears. We could bankrupt the country in a hurry by following such a path. But “...Fight Swine Flu” does make for a great headline. And, of course, it also allows our pro-government President to do what he does best – grow government.

So good, honest voices of reason are sometimes the most difficult to take seriously when your worries seem so large and looming. But perspective is what's needed now. Heeding the words of Doctor and Congressman Ron Paul might help. And I can help. I can offer you a little more.

Perspective:

This “outbreak” has been going on for about a week now. Just seven days.
In that time:

686 people have died from other flu variants – in just the United States.
714 people have died in car accidents – in just the United States.
9,538 people have died from smoking-related illnesses – in just the United States.
38,353 people have died from malaria – worldwide.
Oh, and 1 person has died from a falling coconut – in just Mexico.

Where has the media been hiding all of these extra stories? They sure have missed a lot of “If it bleeds, it leads” opportunities. Where is their perspective?

Evidence of how panicked people are, and in part why, can be found on this page.

The “Swine Flu: Top Five Reasons Not to Panic,” can be found here.

Virtually everything you could want to know about the swine flu can be found on this one, handy, dandy web page from ABCnews.go.com.

Have a nice day.