by 
I don’t know about you, but this pandemic has taught me a lot about other people, but also a lot about myself. From the start, I’ve said that I’m more concerned about the panic and the quarantine then the actual disease. Why? Because the quarantine can mean that we have to do with whatever we have in the house, and panic can cause shortages (toilet paper, paper products, dairy, bread, etc) . Once there are shortages, there’s no telling what people around you may do. Fear is a powerful motivator.
Today, when I read this Tweet, I began to be a bit more introspective:
We’ve seen how our country has responded– shutting ourselves up in fear, trying to score political points, passing relief efforts that put more people dependent on the government, and an attempt to turn us into a socialist state. Seems that they believe that they have to do something, even though Taiwan proves that you don’t have to do it this way.
But what about me? What about you? What have you learned about yourself during this time?
It is said that you grow though difficulty and trials. We know who we really are when we are put under stress. I’ve learned that I can let the news distract me. I can see the partisan divide, but I’m not clearly certain what’s going on. I can see where I can approach this as an engineer and realize that the data is inconclusive and that the models can be misleading. I find that I am more concerned about things than normal– and more thankful for my job and the health of my family.
I also found that, when there was toilet paper in the store, that I can be just as irrational as the next. Two weeks ago there were 10 4-packs. I immediately thought to buy all of them. Then I caught myself and only grabbed a couple. Maybe I should have left them, but the point was that I could see and understand how my brain operated and get a window into who I really am.
What have you learned about yourself? The way you interact with your family?
