How Do People Act During a Pandemic?

Her shopping cart was filled to overflowing as she eyed the shelves down the aisle of the Harris-Teeter.  The store itself was jammed with anxious customers responding to the first warnings that a pandemic was possibly in the early stages of spreading.  Already the packages of toilet paper had been wiped out and harried shoppers were deliberating wildly on what supplies they would need for the long haul.  Her gaze fell on the microwave popcorn and, as if her family’s survival depended on a three month supply, she swept all the boxes on the shelf into her burgeoning cart and made her satisfied way to the checkout line.

Have people gone nuts?  When the weather forecasts snow, sleet, or ice, the rule is you stock up on bread and milk - a well-documented fact.  Apparently when there is a threat of pandemic, the necessities are popcorn and toilet paper.  Who woulda thunk it?  

If there ever was any doubt that human beings are not rational, the current health crisis proves the point.  People are reacting emotionally with little attention to reason.  The media, health professionals, and government officials keeps alerting the public to pay attention to facts, not fear, but facts no longer seem to matter in the 21st Century.  Maybe it has always been true, that what we feel in our gut always overrules what we think in our head.

Truly, the present crisis has no precedent in recent history.  There are lessons to be drawn, however, from the deadliest pandemic in history - the influenza outbreak of 1918.  John Barry, a historian writing in the New York Times, describes how containment of the virus has already failed, as it did in 1918.  The challenge now is to comply with best practices - measures taken to suppress the spread.  Barry points to the failure of compliance as a leading cause for the number of deaths in 1918.  History teaches us that people are often quick to comply with best practices at the beginning of an outbreak, but that compliance diminishes quickly.  Washing hands, wearing masks, keeping our distance, are not practices for the short-term, but will be necessary for months if we are to be successful in halting the spread of the coronavirus.  There are pandemic deniers who will, of course, resist the call to comply with best practices.  We can only appeal to their desire for the public good assuming they can see past their selfishness.

Another lesson from 1918 provides us a different challenge.  How will we care for one another?  As a Christian, this question takes on great importance for me.  In 1918 there were numerous cases of people, self-quarantined, who starved to death because of the failure of society to care for one another.  David Brooks, conservative columnist, describes the societal shame that resulted  from that lack of caring following the pandemic a century ago.  How may we avoid that shame in this new crisis?

I can understand the desire of someone, like our Harris-Teeter shopper above, to do whatever they can imagine to protect and provide for her family.  However, how may we expand on that urge to care so that we reach out to the wider community?  I have a friend who reminded me years ago that until we care for children (and people) beyond our own flesh and blood we will continue to fall short of the kingdom ideals that Jesus proclaimed.  When the disciples wanted assurance that they were included in the flock of Jesus’ care, he reminded them that he had “other sheep” to gather into his fold (John 10:16).  

So, I would add one additional best practice - caring for one another.  This will be a challenge during dystopian times, of course.  After all, how does one practice social distancing while caring for each other?  But just because the practice may be difficult does not mean it is impossible.  In every community there will be opportunities to show care - 

for the poor

for health care workers

for those who provide essential services

for grocery store employees

for the elderly, living alone

We must not allow social distancing to lead to social alienation and neglect.  I would encourage everyone in every community to reach out to social service agencies to discover ways in which care for others might be expressed.  Or, call an older adult to make sure they’re okay.  Call a single mother to see if she needs groceries.  Love thy neighbor.  As Jesus also said, “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another. . .” (John 13:35)  These are going to be difficult days.  May they be days we are able to remember without shame.