The Case for Calm

When you are prepared, you don't need to panic.

Case in point, yesterday in my city word started to spread via social media that the gas pipeline that brings fuel to my city was shut down due to a leak.  Cue massive panic as people raced to the gas stations to get gas (along with thousands of other people).  The governor put out a statement telling people not to panic.  Of course that made even more people panic.  Less than 24 hours later the pipeline is back to normal and people panicked for no reason.

There's something to be said for being prepared so that you can calmly assess a situation before taking action.  Much like the great toilet paper panic when the pandemic began, people who keep a stockpile of everything they usually use, whether it be gasoline or toilet paper or the myriad other things we use on a daily basis, they find that they can enjoy a sense of calm and they need not jump into the fray with the panicking hoards and can instead watch with amusement from the sidelines.