In March 2020, when Americans realized that the new coronavirus was a potentially massive and deadly threat, many rushed to their local supermarket and panic-bought toilet paper, clearing the shelves. It wasn’t logical, and people were told to stop hoarding it. But they were acting out of fear, trying to control what they could control but not really understanding what their real needs were.
The coronavirus has challenged us in ways that our society hadn’t been challenged for decades. It should not have come as a surprise, as epidemiologists have been constantly warning of such threats. But we were not prepared, either mentally or practically. Americans have grown unused to dealing with hardships. When we want something, we only have to click a link on our phone, and it is delivered to our doorstep. We complain and post bad reviews if our food delivery is a few minutes late. Psychologists have even identified a nervous disorder, “phone separation anxiety,” that people suffer from when they are parted from their phones for even short periods.
