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Merriam-Webster defines fear as "an unpleasant, often strong emotion caused by anticipation or awareness of danger." Fear was essential to humanity's early survival, and it is still crucial today. It is one of our most basic and most powerful emotions; it helps us to recognize and respond to threats.
Feeling so little fear that we fail to anticipate or respond to serious threats is obviously bad. Overwhelming fear that keeps us from responding to danger is just as bad. Fear of something that isn't dangerous (or doesn't exist) can be bad too because it limits our enjoyment of life or keeps us from doing things we want or need to do.
Should we ever fear facts?
What is a fact?
The Cambridge Dictionary defines a fact as "something that is known to have happened or to exist, especially something for which proof exists, or about which there is information."
• Is something a fact because you actually saw it happen?
• Is it a fact because you read it somewhere?
• Is it a fact because you saw it on television or on social media?
• Is it a fact because someone told you it is a fact?
• Is it a fact because it is what you want to hear?
• Is it only a fact if it is true? True, according to dictionary.com, means "being in accordance with the actual state or conditions; conforming to reality or fact; not false; real; genuine; authentic."
We really hit the wall when the expression "alternative facts" first surfaced. We understand how that term came into use because someone did not want to agree with the facts presented. The real danger is when we have so many alternative facts that truth is lost. It gets replaced with misinformation that is perpetually repeated until enough people believe it and it becomes the "new" truth.
Alternative truth.
Here are some real facts about COVID.
COVID-19 is an infectious disease caused by a virus unknown before 2020.
Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that 1.18 million people in the U.S. have died from COVID.
COVID was the fourth leading cause of death in 2022. (Numbers 1, 2, and 3 are heart disease, cancer, and unintentional injuries, none of which is generally infectious.)
Around the world, more than 10,000 people died from COVID from January 8 to February 4, 2024, per the World Health Organization.
At its peak this winter, COVID killed about 1,500 Americans per week.
One hundred twenty-seven Pennsylvanians died from COVID the first week in January (12/31/23-1/6/24).
We should consider these and other facts about COVID when deciding how to respond when it surges as it did this winter.
• Is it wrong to fear COVID? It is still killing people.
• Should we be concerned that 1.18 million people have died from COVID in the U.S.?
• Should we be concerned about a close friend or brother or sister who has COVID now?
• Is fear something we only feel for ourselves? Is caring part of the fear response?
• Is caring about the continuing effects of COVID on our community excessive fear, or compassion?
• Is it acceptable when you fail to fear that you could spread a disease to someone with an underlying medical condition who could become seriously ill or die from the disease?
• Is being tired of seeing or hearing about COVID and safety precautions a good reason to stop spreading the word to people who still need it?
By now you probably realize the "real mess" we deal with every day in making all kinds of decisions, including how we deal with COVID. We have researched many reputable sources to guide our personal responses to the COVID pandemic. These are the same reliable sources we look to in supporting our approach to other medical issues.
We have attended numerous local meetings during which members present varying opinions about a point of discussion. Platforms that welcome open discussion provide the opportunity to consider the information presented, to discuss options, and to make thoughtful decisions. In situations where a person disagrees, their concern is taken into consideration and discussed before a decision is made. We reference this because a person who voices an objection in-person is accountable to the others present, whereas someone criticizing or name-calling while hiding within social media posts provides no opportunity for discussion or for reaching a decision that is best for everyone.
Fear can be used or misused. Is using it to attack or ridicule someone ever appropriate?
The further we distance ourselves from listening carefully to someone, from responding respectfully, and from evaluating fact vs. fiction, the easier it is to lose sight of the truth. There is no substitute for good-faith discussion. We owe it to each other.
Joe Smith resides in Mill Creek township, is retired from the insurance industry, and serves on a number of nonprofit boards. Michael Heyd, a retired medical librarian, lives in Fairfield Township. They are members of Let's end COVID!, a group of concerned people in Northcentral PA working to overcome the COVID19 pandemic through education, outreach and mitigation."