I want to take a bit of a break here from the crafting, organizing, and general lifestyle content that I typically post.
With the Covid-19 virus spreading at a pandemic rate (as the WHO just confirmed and stated) I think it's a great time to speak to some personal behaviors and responsibilities.
Let's talk about spreading "opinions" on social media.
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| Photo Credit: Tracy le Blanc |
I've been a bit taken aback by the sheer number of people who have expressed their "medical" opinions and directives on social media - most expressly on FaceBook.
Now, some of those opinions are from actual medically trained individuals, however, the large contingent of opinions and directives are from good people essentially "word vomiting" all over the place.
I understand you may have an opinion, but opinions, when coupled with influential verbiage, can have severe ramifications.
When we speak to things based on limited resources and knowledge - touting it as factual, we can be creating a chain of detrimental effects that can have far-reaching ramifications.
We are not unlike Covid-19 itself; infecting one person, who retells our opinions to two people. who retells those opinions to 8 people, and so on.
It's the Herbal Essence commercial of the 1970s!
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| Photo Credit: Fauxels |
I am not an infectious disease scholar, nor do I have medical training, nor do I hold any type of degree that would have put me in contact with the trained professionals who ACTUALLY STUDY AND HAVE INTIMATE KNOWLEDGE of infectious diseases, how they spread, how to contain them, and when their severity can cause a global pandemic.
In actuality, I don't even know one of these highly trained and specifically focused people.
Sure, I can follow the CDC recommendations, but as of right now they are only reporting to the American public at a rate not commensurate with the exponential diagnosis of infections in the USA alone.
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| Photo Credit: Pixabay |
I don't want people to panic, however, I become concerned when people are essentially "telling" others to not be worried, go on about your business, this will just be like a "bad cold" if you get it.
See, we like to make people feel like it's going to be "okay," and by reassuring them we also reassure ourselves AND seem like an authoritative voice of reason.
We want to believe that it's no big deal because we are emotionally, mentally, and physically unequipped to deal with something this potentially catastrophic.
When we are posting memes making fun of others who are seriously concerned for themselves and those they love, we have moved into a shaming spiral that can have long term reach and effects.
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| Photo Credit: Pressmaster |
In times of trouble, our human nature tends to be one of giving or receiving reassurance.
We read what others have posted on social media and then make posts ourselves.
We respond with humor in an attempt to diffuse the situation.
We post about people "acting crazy, ridiculous, out-of-control."
We try to downplay.
However, it's not productive.
Especially in this case.
Each and every one of us is responsible for what we say and what we post and repost on social media.
With that responsibility comes a thoughtfulness; the ability to put ourselves in the shoes of someone else and decide if what you are going to say in your post could potentially harm or hurt someone else.
In my case, I have a 102-year-old father-in-law who has a pacemaker and is a diabetic. My hubby (until a day ago when his care facility shut down outside visitors) was visiting him twice a day.
I've been personally worried about our ability to pass on the virus to him in the event that we have it.
Do I think we have it?
Nope, but could I say for 100% surety that we've NOT been exposed?
Nope.
I have no idea who we've come in contact with over the last 2 weeks that could have been in contact with someone else who has traveled or been around another who was at risk.
The thought that we could possibly put him and others at risk is very daunting to me
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| Photo Credit: Pixabay |
The situation is real.
As in... really REAL!
People we know ARE going to get sick. In some cases, it may be worse.
We are going to need to pull together like we have never pulled together in most of our lifetimes.
We will need to connect with compassion and nurturing through social media.
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| Photo Credit: Elina Krima |
We will need to help those with real anxiety issues cope and take time to nurture our own selves.
Most of us will go through some significant change.
We will hopefully come to recognize what's important, real, and true.
Hopefully, we will see ourselves not as a single entity, but as a large piece of the bigger picture.
We will understand our humanity more and our selves less.
When this is all over, hopefully, we will find peace.
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| Photo Credit: Nandhu Kumar |
The peace that passes all understanding.
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