by Scott Cressman
An infection is sweeping the world. The flu has changed from a seasonal nuisance to a deadly menace. But the latest virus strain is overshadowed by a wider outbreak: fear. The newest superbug is on everybody’s lips, and it may be creating a panic more than a pandemic.
In the space of two weeks, China and Russia have banned American and Mexican pork. Airports have quarantined citizens with possible infections. Egypt has pledged to slaughter 300,000 pigs. Most importantly, we are constantly hearing the latest swine flu update.
For most people, fear is the only real pandemic affecting them right now. Fear spreads through our televisions and conversations. The more we allow this one issue to grab our thoughts, the deeper we push the infection. Is fear helping you stay healthy or just causing stress?
The antidote could be be to simply put things in perspective.
Look at the world and consider what other greater tragedies deserve our attention. Millions die each year from both unclean water and HIV. Drought, floods, and other environmental disasters force people to struggle for life. Political turmoil constantly erupts into violence. The biggest disasters may not always get as much airtime as the current hot topic, but they are far more tragic to the people living in their midst.
Of course, the potential exists today for a dangerous pandemic. Certainly, people need to be vigilant and control this new flu strain, but the flu has been a deadly virus for a long time. There is always something in the future to fear. And didn’t Jesus say that anxiety does no good? If increasing peace and justice is the goal, maybe it’s better worry about issues with the most at stake, not the most publicity.
Scott Cressman is from small-town New Hamburg, Ontario. He has wrestled a journalism degree from Carleton University, planted forests in B.C., and served in a Mennonite summer camp. Now, he teaches English to South Korean children.
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interesting post.
http://politicsdecoded.com/2009/05/08/swineflu/
The base concern with H1N1 Flu or any other pandemic is not how lethal it may be, but that it may affect me–affluent Western me. Each day, thousands of children die of hunger, and how do we, including the media, respond? Moreover, we can do something about world hunger, but we do little.
Scott
You have pinpointed an essential truth. WE obsess over things that affect us personally, rather than those that may have much more impact in the wider picture.
Interesting quote that’s on the Grant Transport sign (thought you might like something from New Hamburg):
An ounce of action is worth a ton of worry.
Or something close to that.
Thanks for the interesting post.