In our current environment regarding the CoronaVirus, people are generally at one of two extremes. First, there are people buying into the media’s abject panic. On the other hand, there are people at the extreme other end, saying this is nothing to worry about and that to say otherwise is “fear-mongering”.
What should we do?
Proverbs 27:12 has the answer.
The prudent see danger and take refuge, but the simple keep going and pay the penalty.
Nearly the identical verse appears at Proverbs 22:3:
The prudent sees danger and hides himself, but the simple go on and pay for it.
Which seems to be more prudent, in not just this situation, but in any:
A) Taking precautions and being overly careful, when you didn’t need to be.
B) Taking no precautions and being careless, when you should have been cautious.
Seems fairly obvious, once you remove the “Twitter Mania” and politics from the situation, doesn’t it?
If I am cautious and careful, and didn’t need to be, then I’ve got a few extra cans of food that I was eventually going to eat anyway and I’m healthy.
If I’m careless and not cautious, but the disease does turn out to be bad, I’m sick or dead.
I know which side I’ll err on.
Taking the Biblical advice, I can ensure that I have some basic household supplies (not 36 packages of toilet paper) and some non-perishable food & water on hand, while not running around screaming that the sky is falling, and not berating people who are legitimately concerned.
Decide what “take refuge” means to you…it’s different for each person or family.
I have always had hand sanitizer on hand, because it’s ALWAYS been prudent to do so. I’ve always carried some in my car, had some in my desk at the office, and had some at home.
As far as masks, I generally don’t allow people close enough to me to make that a concern. I don’t use public transportation, because I don’t intend to give anyone else control over my movements, so I don’t end up closer to people than I’d like. In my laptop bag, I’ve always carried some type of bandana to use a dust mask or a bandage, so no new steps needed to be taken.
Yes, some people are over-panicking and buying up supplies, but if you’ve been prudent as the Proverbs advise all along, you already had some supplies on hand.
If you’ve been prudent all along, you didn’t need the government to tell you to wash your hands and teach you how to do it. Besides, letting the government tell you what to do leads to the orders to get on the rail cars at some point.
A good friend of mine (and my Korean Martial Arts instructor) said just yesterday, regarding the panic at Costco, “Did these people not wash their hands or use toilet paper until now?” Everyone wants to make fun of people who choose to be prepared, but at the first sign of trouble, most people became “last-minute preppers”.
You know who WASN’T at the warehouse stores over the weekend, freaking out? PREPPERS. They had already stocked up on supplies before an urgent need, and therefore had what they needed. There’s a lesson in there somewhere.
Trust in yourself, take prudent measures to “take refuge” and don’t buy into either the panic or the over-carelessness.
Tactical Wisdom 