I Agree With Elon Musk: Coronavirus *Panic* Is Dumb

5 years ago Johnna Crider 0 Comments




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At the end of the week, Elon Musk tweeted that the coronavirus panic is dumb, and I agree with him. I also somewhat disagree — I guess I am divided. Panicking itself is dumb, but inevitable — this is why I disagree. I mean, I agree that it’s dumb, but I also know that it’s going to happen, so why be upset over other people panicking when you can be proactive instead?  Panicking is a natural reaction to any sudden change and there is nothing you can do to stop many people from panicking. But there is something you can do.

I have had this conversation with my neighbors in my own community, and we all agree that panicking is not the answer. However, those panicking are not going to agree — most likely they will be in an emotional state, so thinking rationally is out. You can’t argue with someone who is panicking simply because you can’t argue with emotions, especially fear-based ones. What you can do instead is realize that your opinion on panicking, in general, isn’t going to change things or make it better or make people not be emotional. Once you realize that you have absolutely no control over the emotions of others, this frees up your mind to focus on what you can do for yourself — where your power truly lies.

The coronavirus is scary. At first, I thought it was just another media-hyped bug — one that the collective media will forget about in about 4 months or so and move on to the next topic. But it hasn’t — not yet anyways. And this is actually a good and bad thing. The bad part is it increases unneeded panic, but the panic itself also increases awareness of our cleanliness as a society. Many Americans could and should wash their hands more, handle coughing better, and not go to work or places with many other humans around when they are contagious.

However, Elon has a valid point here. Panicking is dumb. It does more harm than good and people act out of character when they are in very intense emotional states. I went shopping at the Walmart near my house a few days ago. It was on a Sunday and not everyone there was in full panic mode, but they were about halfway there. Almost all of the vitamins were sold out, two grown men were stockpiling maxi pads and tampons and tried to fight me for my two packages. I proved to be the crazier one in that fight and they backed off. Crazy wins, every time.

I say the panic was halfway because there was still bread and coffee left. However, most of the water was gone as well as almost all of the chicken soup, rice, and other essentials. Also, Walmart was completely sold out of hand sanitizer online and at the store.

Another conversation my neighbors and I had was this: the coronavirus is probably already here and we need to operate as if we have it now. Meaning, we should take our vitamins, eat wholesome foods that support our immune systems, and practice good hygiene.

Elon may have come across as harsh in his thoughts, but to me it’s direct. He isn’t sugarcoating it, and people don’t like things unsweetened.

“Well, you’re young and not in that 2 percent” has been a comment I have seen addressed at me. The truth is, I am in that small percentage that could die if I get it. I have asthma and have almost died from it three times in my life. Every time I get bronchitis, I end up in the hospital. The last time I had it severely, I had a fever of 104.9 degrees and it took the doctors over 6 hours to get it down to 102. I was on oxygen the entire time.

I was 14 when I was diagnosed and I actually did lose consciousness. My mother had to do CPR on me and when I got to the hospital, I’d stopped breathing and woken up to resuscitation. I was in the hospital for around 3–4 weeks. The memory is still fuzzy — I was braindead for around 3 minutes or so, the doctor told my mother — and had temporary amnesia. I even had to relearn how to breathe properly and for the next 5 years battled severe PTSD. I was severely bullied in high school from it (I won’t go into detail) and it took a few years before all of my memories came back.

Due to that trauma, you would think I would be the first person panicking — but I’m not. Today, I can use meditation to stop an asthma attack. I also have my inhalers and I take care of myself. I work out, take my vitamins, and stay off of milk in the winter months (milk contributes to fluid on the lungs). I also drink a lot of water, and water is the only beverage I consume on a daily basis besides coffee. I also use a variety of natural remedies, such as honey, elderberries, and herbs and spices in my diet. I make smoothies and incorporate these natural immune supporters into my diet daily.

In general, I agree with Elon that panicking itself is dumb. However, it’s inevitable and saying it’s dumb will only add fuel to the fire. We should plan for people to panic. Also, we should plan, and that includes planning for the panic. My neighbors and I are all stocked up for the next 6 months on everything — my block is good. Panicking over the coronavirus isn’t wise, but people will do it. Planning for it and being proactive about your health is the best way to take care of yourself.

Editor’s COVID-19 Addendum

Updates: Elon has expanded on his initial thoughts regarding COVID-19:

Additional potentially useful tweets:

https://twitter.com/PPathole/status/1236559433167024128

https://twitter.com/CT_Bergstrom/status/1236203915131019264

https://twitter.com/PPathole/status/1236098887204495361

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Johnna Crider

Johnna owns less than one share of $TSLA currently and supports Tesla's mission. She also gardens, collects interesting minerals and can be found on TikTok

Johnna Crider has 1996 posts and counting. See all posts by Johnna Crider