President Franklin D. Roosevelt said during his 1933 inaugural address, “…the only thing we have to fear is fear itself!” He went on to say that we should not fear unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts “to convert retreat into advance.” Yes, we now have a pandemic with the Coronavirus. We have cause for concern, but must we really live in fear? No, we don’t. We can have a healthy respect of fear. The basic emotion of fear can be good as it guides our “fight or flight” response to stay safe. Fear heightens our sense of awareness to get prepared and to remain vigilant. But, fear, if allowed, can be dangerous. The negative side to fear is when it holds us back from doing what is right which can lead to panic, clouded thinking, and mayhem. An unhealthy response to fear can cause unnecessary panic, misleading posts on Facebook, dissemination of rumors as fact and on a grander scale could even lead to inciting riots, mass crowds overwhelming local stores, stampede
Clever, Missouri (Christian County)