Fear itself will kill you, because it causes you to make bad decisions
Decisions have consequences, and decisions made out of fear can kill you. However, common senses and basic preparedness skills will save you, if you will only stop and think through the problem.
Too much information sometimes can be a bad thing, because those spreading certain types of information have an agenda, and often times the agenda is your wallet or purse.
The Ebola virus is deadly, it creates a visceral reaction not seen in years among the world population, and this is particularly true in the United States. We all fear it, because we do not completely understand it.
Keep Things in Perspective
Vehicle accidents claim the lives of close to 40,000 people a year in this country and influenza kills tens of thousands more each year as well, and yet the highways are more crowded than ever. Shopping malls are always crowded each holiday season at the height of the flu season. Do we fear vehicles, does anyone curtail shopping for fear of catching the flu.
Diabetes is the seventh leading cause of death in the United States. In 2010, 234,051 death certificates were issued stating that diabetes caused the death, or was an underlying cause for the death. What is the world’s reaction, to this, what is yours, are you in panic mode, how are you preparing for this disease (National Diabetes Statistics Report, 2014).
You can die from any number of things, but right now, here today Ebola is well down the list of things likely to kill you. This does not mean that things cannot not change however, and change quickly, so do prepare, but keep it sensible.
Take precautions against Ebola, as you would take precautions while driving and precautions to prevent catching the flu. Learn to live healthier to prevent diabetes, but do not let fear force you into making the wrong decisions about anything.
There is not a cure for Ebola right now, there is promise however, of a so-called serum, but it may be months or years before it would available to the common person. Internet websites are popping up overnight proclaiming to know all there is to know about Ebola. Some claim they have the cure, and some of them for a few bucks will sell you the cure, any cure. Guess what, fear pays for some.
In years past people in small communities suffering through a drought would spend their last dollar to hire a “rainmaker”. The Rainmakers knew just enough to be convincing, they could talk, and they did talk people out of their hard-earned money, they knew how people would react when fearful.
Rainmakers tried to change nature, while nature will demand you adapt to it, or die, you cannot pay someone to change the way nature works. Rainmakers were only successful at taking money, but not at making it rain.
What Do You Do
First, stop listening to the fear mongering. Hospitals are deadly places with or without an Ebola patient inside, so start living a healthier life so you do not have to visit one as often, or at all. It really is as simple as that, and yet extremely hard in its execution. People simply cannot or will not do it.
Do a realistic threat assessment and consider Ebola a top threat right now, because frankly we do not know all there is to know, but we know enough to start preparing for quarantines. You have to be prepared to shelter in place for an extended period. Do this out of an abundance of caution and not out of panic. Common sense tells you that other people’s reaction may be what you have to prepare for as well. Community leaders may overreact out of fear, so you do have to prepare for this.
You do not need to go get rolls of plastic and duct tape to protect yourself from the Ebola virus by sealing your home off. This can create more problems than it solves because to seal your home efficiently you would have to shut down any heat or air conditioning units. Imagine living inside with heavy plastic over all openings and every crack and crevice taped over. You would probably die of heat exhaustion long before anything else got to you. Again, use common sense when preparing.
The basics are needed for the Ebola crisis as they are for any emergency. You always need shelter, water, food, medical supplies and energy along with a good dose of practical thinking tossed in. You should already be avoiding crowded malls, theaters and restaurants. Avoidance of these areas makes sense, because of mass shootings and the fact they are a target for terrorist attacks, so continue to avoid these situations now as well because of Ebola.
If you are prepared for a crisis in a general sense then there is not much more you have to do to step it up to become prepared for an Ebola outbreak here in the United States or any other country for that matter.
National Diabetes Statistics Report. (2014). Retrieved 2014, from http://www.diabetes.org/diabetes-basics/statistics/