Coronavirus - from a calm perspective

News, around the world, has been focused on the latest coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.   Therefore, amid the fear and frenzy, let’s look at a different perspective.   Although serious in nature, I think we can agree the mainstream media has blown this thing way out of proportion.   Unfortunately, the reason for some of this seems to be political in nature. Although I do not claim to know what it is, I don’t doubt the existence of a political agenda given the feverish frenzy the media applies to the subject.It looks as though new cases of COVID-19 have peaked in China and are now decreasing—following the classic bell curve.   Recoveries continue to increase.   The same thing will eventually take place in other parts of the world.   COVID-19, like all flu bugs, likes cold weather.   Therefore, as the weather warms up in the northern hemisphere, we should see fewer and fewer new cases.Isn’t it amazing what society chooses to panic about?  We don’t panic about 50,000 people being killed by drunk drivers.  We don’t panic about parents still feeding their kids Lucky Charms and Cheerios even in the face of rising diabetes.  We’re not overly concerned about 56,000 people dying from the influenza or flu-like illness every year. We don’t feel at risk because approximately 23,000 Americans die from antibiotic resistant infections annually.Interestingly, all the experts are scrambling for a vaccine to solve it.  Why don’t we have a national effort to boost everyone’s immune system?  This might be a good time to start such a campaign..In this panic, every other person on the planet becomes an enemy. That’s a shame and has dire consequences.  I suggest that rather than fearing every other person on the planet, canceling fellowship, and huddling in hermit life until a vaccine is discovered, how about we commit ourselves as a society to eat healthy and opt for a lower stress lifestyle, so we have a collectively better immune system?  How about being intentional in how we eat, recreate, entertain, and meditate? What we ponder certainly influences our outlook on life.In the big scheme of things to fear, coronavirus doesn’t have the numbers to scare.  The effect is completely disproportional to the actual numbers.  But when the media whips people into a frenzy with minute-by-minute paranoia pandering, people go wonky.  Perhaps the best cure for the coronavirus is to shut off the news.To be honest, the fear and panic portrayed by the populace–as well as by public institutions who shut down activities, classes, etc.–is perhaps of greater concern than the virus itself. To me, the most sensible advice of the day is to CALM DOWN and look at the situation realistically. Yes, the virus is highly contagious, but as of now there are only two confirmed cases in the state of Pennsylvania. Plus, even Google puts the virus in perspective with its statement of; Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is characterized by mild symptoms including a runny nose, sore throat, cough, and fever. Illness can be more severe for some people and can lead to pneumonia or breathing difficulties. More rarely, the disease can be fatal. Older people, and people with other medical conditions (such as asthma, diabetes, or heart disease), may be more vulnerable to becoming severely ill.  How does this differ from common influenza? And that’s the View from the Country.P.S. Portions of this post were adapted by permission from Joel Salatin’s blog The Lunatic Farmer. Click here to read his latest post on the Coronavirus phenomenon. Be assured, it’s balanced, outside-the-box, and worth reading. Quote Worth Re-Quoting –“The doctor of the future will no longer treat the human frame with drugs, but rather will cure and prevent disease with nutrition.”  ~Thomas Edison