COVID-19 has radically transformed the world in what feels like a matter of days, as the disease escalation and social isolation remain on the rise. Today I discover what people’s reactions to high-stress situations reveal about human nature, as well as how to be better prepared for disaster.
Corona went from being a Mexican beer to an all-encompassing panic seemingly overnight, as the whole world is coming to a standstill to try and curb the disease spread. If the shelves in stores are any indication of how humans react when panic and pandemic arise, then the glaring emptiness surely reveals selfish intent. Hand sanitizer has become a rarefied commodity, and toilet paper is close to being rationed as everyone scrambles for supplies. Yet despite the death toll climbing every day, some still refuse to acknowledge the state of emergency the world is so clearly in, as they try to take advantage of cheap tickets and book discount vacations. What does global hardship reveal about the way people operate? Unsurprisingly, it’s a mixture of both good and bad.
Are we selfish by nature? This is a question that COVID-19 certainly poses. If everyone would calm down, stockpile supplies for at-risk groups, and maintain normal shopping habits, then there wouldn’t be massive shortages of needed items. But people are instead buying out shelves and filling up apocalypse bunkers as it becomes every person for themselves, or rather every unit for itself. Amazon, eBay, and other reseller sites have been suspending accounts of people who have stockpiled goods such as hand sanitizer and are selling them for outrageous prices. These people are attempting to profit off of people’s fears as they put lives in danger by hoarding supplies in the hopes of making money. At the same time, tragedy brings out the best in people, such as a distillery using its equipment to make hand sanitizer and distribute it for free, as well as numerous incentives to guard the elderly. Such situations delineate a clear line between bad and good, but then there is the in-between category that many find ourselves falling into.
Though some people are stockpiling for profit, some are doing so not for themselves, but for their families. Are we bad for wanting to keep our families safe? Many would firmly argue that the answer is no. But what if keeping our families safe endangers other people’s families? It boils down to a simple situation. There is a limited amount of goods. For our families to be equipped with ample supplies, other families will be left in need. Of course, if we are on the losing end of this equation, we are likely furious and frustrated. The better of us on the winning end feel grateful, while many choose indifference. With so many problems occurring in the world, why should we waste our time contemplating hardships that currently aren’t ours? This kind of mentality can be dangerous in a time of panic, as primal instincts overcome social cues and people fend for their inner circles at the expense of the larger community. The same can be said about the many young people who are going about their lives relatively unaltered because they are not the group most at risk for fatality. In a self-centered society, people fail to grasp that the conditions of others should also be their concerns, which is leading to the spread of COVID-19 and escalating deaths.
At the same time, wide-scale panic and tragedy always reveal examples of society’s very best. From average people to celebrities, many have been stepping up to support those around them in need. A number of wealthy people have been donating funds to help provide food and income to those most affected. Certain grocery stores have altered their hours to exclusively service frightened elderly shoppers, and scores of healthy people have been striving to be of aid to those who cannot safely venture into the world at the moment. Large-name companies have announced they will still pay workers’ salaries despite stores closing down, while mortgages won’t have to be paid until the panic passes to mitigate the devastation of income loss. People are sharing resources across social media to provide support to those who might be going through emotional crises or who are trapped in dangerous domestic situations due to quarantine. Despite the wide-scale panic, from people to companies, there are those doing all they can to be of service to others.
When it comes down to it, how humans respond to disaster can be influenced by a variety of factors. Vulnerability can be calculated in part by political, social, and economic statuses. These factors help determine the level of resources people have and their ability to withstand a disaster. Therefore, it is no surprise that though widespread disasters seldom discriminate, the poorer classes are the ones hit the hardest by them. Meanwhile, celebrities can relax comfortably in their mansions and preach to the masses as though they are policymakers. However, making a tragedy all about yourself isn’t going to help the situation. Disaster mitigation can do wonders to lessen suffering. While we can’t prepare for all things, one factor that enormously influences how people respond to disasters is social support, and luckily this is available to all classes of people. Mindset and social response can enormously influence people’s ability to understand the significance of a disaster and take appropriate actions to protect themselves. In this sense, awareness plays a pivotal roll in determining how a disaster will unravel, as does looking out for each other.
To wrap things up, something that people often lose sight of when major events occur is the way that it affects everyone. Grief can feel very personal and isolating, as we become consumed by the things taken from us. But what we have to remember at this moment is that the entire world is affected. In my opinion, this isn’t the time to stop and cry for ourselves. The current COVID-19 outbreak should cause us not to cave inward, but to endure. Most of us luckily will get our lives back when vaccines and antidotes are manufactured. But we have to remain level-headed, practical, and resilient for those who will not have that luxury. That means no spring break trips this year, no spontaneous vacations due to slashed airline prices, no making light of a situation that is very serious for many people. By being smart and keeping our distance, we can avoid mass fatalities. So let’s be there for the people who are relying on us and communicate calmly and clearly with the people we can reach.