This collective neurosis has reached unfathomable proportions. I do not read news, I have ten people on my Twitter timeline, I don't check on social media, and yet in my immediate surroundings conversations about it are overheard everywhere: in yoga, in the market, in the family, in my thoughts.
Is there anything I can do about it? I've already informed myself enough as to know what precautions to take. Apocalyptic scenarios are the product of fantastic imaginations, it is unnecessary to over prepare.
Is everyone well informed? No, especially those who think they are most informed. Can I do anything about it? I could spread what I consider "true" information, but who am I to spread "truth" about the virus? Whatever I say about it will be repeating a fact or an opinion from another another source with higher authority. The days when I had the patience to make higher authority information more understandable to myself and to others are over. I'm sure somebody has already nailed a great infographic, and hopefully it's all over the web.
The thing with information is that most of us consume it in undigestible quantities. A great, "true" infographic might go viral, but then the facts and the data are retained in the memory for a couple of minutes, at most. The reader then clicks on Buzzfeed's 10 ways to spend your days at home in pandemia and at the end of the day recalls nothing of the "true" information, despite feeling well informed.
What I find most lacking is common sense, even in myself. People either wave the virus away (I was one), or give in to exaggerated reactions based on fear. It is OK not to be concerned. It is not OK to pretend nothing is happening. It is OK to be concerned. It is not OK to spread misinformed fear.
How does one change habits and actions without fear? If I want to wash my hands more, do I need to be in a state of anxiety to remember doing it? Some great souls have the capacity of transforming intention into consistent action, but us, wretched souls, tend to get lost in thought and will as soon forget a commitment as we make up new arbitrary ones.
How do we accomplish consistent action if it's so difficult to form habit and one is unconcerned? It is said it takes 30 days for habit to settle in and become effortless/reminderless. I like the challenge. I only wash my hands when I use the washroom or I prepare food. I'll try to remember washing my hands every time I arrive to a new place in order to understand unconcerned action.