Lemmings

I was going to write a bit today about the panic I'm beginning to see. COVID19 is here, and it it's affecting so many people in so many places worldwide. I'm sure that everyone has heard of shortages in stores, people staying home, and so many other things too numerous to write about.

This morning I woke up to a stock market going crazy. The COVID19 scare might be behind it, but digging deeper, I've seen that the real culprit here is oil. Prices are falling, and falling fast. I'm not a market analyst, just wanted to put that out there.

So I ask, is it time to panic? Is it time to act like lemmings and head for a proverbial cliff?

A Little Education

COVID19 woes, markets around the world starting to face plant, oil prices dropping. I started to think of those cute little lemmings. We've all heard about lemmings rushing to the cliffs to jump off in mass suicide. Let's read a quote from Encyclopedia Britannica

"So why is the myth of mass lemming suicide so widely believed? For one,
it provides an irresistible metaphor for human behavior. Someone who
blindly follows a crowd—maybe even toward catastrophe—is called a
lemming. Over the past century, the myth has been invoked to express
modern anxieties about how individuality could be submerged and
destroyed by mass phenomena, such as political movements or consumer
culture."

Caution

With all that is going on, it's not time to panic. I see it as a wake up call. We are all aware of the need to take caution while going through our daily lives to stay safe. Don't panic, this isn't the end of the world.

We've all heard of preppers, and I've been told that I'm a prepper. I'm not really, I just like to know that I've stocked up on a few things over time. Simple every day things like water, coffee (a must in my house), toilet paper, canned goods, simple first aid gear. These are some of the things stashed away in various places in my home.

If things get to the point where basics are running short, Wifey and I would be happy to pitch in and help those in need. There are many folks who are willing to do the same. I urge caution my friends, but don't panic, don't run off the cliff.

Greg