From Justin Brown, IdeaPod (abbreviated)
Three friends were sailing, each on his own sailboat. An optimist, a pessimist, and a realist. The wind stopped, halting the boats in their tracks on the high seas.
The pessimist immediately stopped and cried out to himself: "I'm done for. I'll die out here." Little by little, he turned himself in.
The optimist, without worrying, said to herself: "Everything is alright. There's no need to be afraid. Soon the wind will come back and we'll be out of here."
The realist, however, stopped and observed the situation, thinking to himself: "Well, in fact, it's not windy. If it takes too long without wind, we're going to run out of supplies and we're not going to make it to the coast in time." He observed that while it was not windy, there was a sea current. He directed his boat and got back to shore.
We have a responsibility for how we take care of ourselves and each other with this virus. This means practicing self-care and social distancing, doing what we can to halt the spread and also being careful with the way we communicate our thoughts because fear spreads faster than the virus itself.
Yet we don't want to ignore the fears but also don't want to succumb to the fear like the pessimist. We can be realists, embracing our fears head-on with full consciousness.
Unfortunately, the internet is full of sensationalist reporting and social media platforms designed to ignite fear but we can help and inspire each other by sharing practical advice grounded in reality to better prepare our community for the challenges ahead.
So we have a choice, the choice to actively seek out information that helps us to understand the situation better so we can make clear decisions. But I don't believe an appropriate response is to avoid the media altogether. Our global communication grid is also one of the most empowering technologies for humanity. There are really important articles to read that bring awareness to what's going on.
Let's help each other to be fully informed realists, embracing the challenges we face head-on. People who are vulnerable need our support now more than ever
Bertrand Russell once wrote, “Collective fear stimulates herd instinct, and tends to produce ferocity toward those who are not regarded as members of the herd.” The reality is that we are all part of the same global herd. The virus doesn't understand national boundaries, ethnicity or political perspectives. It cares not.
We can face up to our fears with responsibility and purpose. We can act in service to others by distancing ourselves while also reaching out to the people we love to show that we care. We can make sure the older and more vulnerable people in our communities are being looked after.
We can make social media platforms the revolutionary space they are designed to be by sharing information that helps people to confront their fears, embrace reality and take responsible action in preventing the spread to the very best of our ability.
Road to BMT...oops just got there (Day +250)
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