Peoria Times
24 RELIGION
March 19, 2020
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Having a panic attack on coronavirus? Try a plan of attack CHURCH COMMUNITY CONNECTION Pastor Ed Delph
Peoria Times Columnist
Coronavirus has created mass panic around the globe — true. According to the latest news when this article was written, over 100,000 people are infected — true. Over 68,000 have recovered — true. About 3,000 have died from the virus — true. Who are the main victims of coronavirus? Those over 70 years old, and especially those over seventy with preexisting respiratory issues, or those who are immune-suppressed — true. Few cases of death have happened outside of this
very specific target group - true. Other common diseases have much larger numbers of death than of coronavirus, but for some reason, these diseases have not created the mass panic we have going on currently. Coronavirus might be here to stay. It’s what we do about it now and how we emotionally handle it now that will determine the outcome and future of not only us but for future generations also. Think of it, will what we do now with coronavirus be a posi-
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tive legacy or a negative legacy? I’d like to share an article by Dr. Abdu Sharkawy. In my opinion, it’s the first intelligent assessment of the whole coronavirus issue I have read. Dr. Sharkawy is a doctor and an infectious disease specialist at the University of Toronto in Canada. He permitted InsideSources to distribute the article. Snopes confirms Dr. Sharkawy wrote this article. “I’m a doctor and an Infectious Diseases specialist. I’ve been at this for more than 20 years, seeing sick patients daily. I have worked in inner-city hospitals and in the poorest slums of Africa. HIV-AIDS, hepatitis, TB, SARS, measles, shingles, whooping cough, diphtheria...there is little I haven’t been exposed to in my profession. And with the notable exception of SARS, very little has left me feeling vulnerable, overwhelmed or downright scared. “I am not scared of COVID-19. I am concerned about the implications of a novel infectious agent spreading the world over and continues to find new footholds in different soil. I am rightly concerned for the welfare of those who are elderly, in frail health or disenfranchised who stand to suffer most, and disproportionately, at the hands of this new scourge. But I am not scared of COVID-19. “What I am scared about is the loss of reason and wave of fear inducing the masses of society into a spellbinding spiral of panic, stockpiling obscene quantities of anything to fill a bomb shelter adequately in a post-apocalyptic world. I am scared of the N95 masks stolen from hospitals and urgent care clinics where they are actually needed for front line healthcare providers and
instead are being donned in airports, malls, and coffee lounges, perpetuating, even more, fear and suspicion of others. “....But mostly, I’m scared about what message we are telling our kids when faced with a threat. Instead of reason, rationality, open-mindedness, and altruism, we are telling them to panic, be fearful, suspicious, reactionary and self-interested.” Let’s calm down a bit. It’s not the end of the world. Quit acting like it. Prepare wisely, not hysterically. Don’t be fearful. Use your head, not your emotions. Sharp people are working on this. God is in control. Don’t expect results instantly. Face the challenge, calmly, and firmly like others before you have in this great nation. Continue their legacy. Where did all this fear come from? Do you know what F.E.A.R. stands for? False Evidence Appearing Real. Don’t join the cattle stampede of those scared by over-hyped optics. The only thing we must fear is fear itself. God hasn’t given us a spirit of fear. Someone else or something else did. James Clear says it this way. “Your actions are a consequence of your thoughts. Your thoughts are a consequence of what you consume. And in the modern age, what you consume is largely a consequence of how you select and refine your social media feed. Choose better inputs. Get better outputs.” Here’s the biggest tragedy of all. Do you understand those who use their heads, stay calm and think, most always end up with what the fearful left behind as they ran away to another place where more fear was waiting for them to arrive? To learn more about Pastor Ed Delph, the Church-Community Connection and Nation strategy, call 623-376-6757, e-mail nationstrategy@cs.com or visit nationstrategy.com.
