Observations on Human Behavior

Most of the news in the past six weeks has been focused on the virus pandemic. The impeachment of Trump has been forgotten and we aren't hearing much about the election this fall. Even the issue of sexual abuse has fallen by the wayside while everyone is focused on the virus. There are questions and debates about the  seriousness of the virus, the causes and cures, the government mandates and more. I am no expert on medicine or politics but I have made some observations on human behavior from this.  

My first observation is that people seem to need someone to analyze and criticize. The virus provides them with a fresh variety of subjects to slash on the whipping post. You Tube and Facebook provide a platform for people to publish their opinions which other people spread by sharing and argue for or against with their comments. 

There are videos made by doctors who don't agree on the causes and cures for the virus. Some advocate natural cures and others are looking for a drug or vaccine. Some things which have been posted claim the whole thing is a hoax or a conspiracy. There are opposing viewpoints for and against the quarantine which is causing economic problems and disrupting the supply of essential foods and services. 

The mixture of opposing viewpoints is confusing and I have mostly given up on watching these things.  It has come to the point I question whether the "doctors" making these videos are actually doctors. Anybody could dress in hospital scrubs and spout their opinions as a "doctor." How can we know what is truth and who to believe?

One thing I do know is that not everything you read or see on the Internet is truth. None of us have ever seen anything like this and there are too many unknowns. Ideas and research keep changing. At one point hydroxychloroquine seemed to be the answer but new research has come up with another possibility. That could easily change next week and probably will.

Second observation, you can pretty much tell what people believe by the posts they share on Facebook. People have their own opinions and they will share things they find that support their opinions. If they think it's all a hoax, that's what they will share. If they think the quarantine was not necessary, they will share things that support their opinion. If they are an advocate of natural products, essential oils, etc., they will share things that agree with their beliefs.

Third, human intelligence is limited. People can only guess what might have been. It is impossible for anyone to know what would have happened if different decisions had been made, for example regarding quarantine. Did it help slow the spread of the virus? Is the economic fallout worse than the cause? 

Fourth, people who do not have faith and trust in God live in fear. They hoard groceries and paper supplies to gain a sense of control and security. They cower in their homes in isolation for fear of getting sick forgetting that they could just as easily die in an instant from a completely different cause. I'm not saying we should throw all caution to the winds. We should obey the laws our leaders pass which they believe are for our protection,  but we need not live in fear. This is a rough patch, but we are not alone. God is with us and He will see us through. And if we get the virus and die, we have hope beyond this life. Death is not the worst thing that could happen when it is our ticket to heaven.