Never hurts to make preparations

(My Eastern New Mexico News column for June 3, 2020)

As the panic over coronavirus loses steam, and everyone who isn't a political power junkie gets back to normal, remember the lessons you learned over the past few months.

The virus wasn't as dangerous as the fear-mongers wanted to scare you into believing, but it did kill some people. While it hasn't gone away, it has lost much of its power to frighten people. This is bad news for most politicians.

The virus is likely to surge again this Fall, if not sooner. This may trigger a new cascade of overreactions by politicians and more panic by their followers. Maybe people got smarter from experience and won't fall for the hype this time, but don't bet your life on it. Be ready, just in case.

Remember those supplies you couldn't find in stores? Stock up now. Just a little here and there-- even one extra item each time you shop will help. You may end up wishing you'd stocked up more, but anything will be better than missing the opportunity to get ready when you had the chance.

The preppers weren't the ones to blame for the empty shelves. Those who weren't prepared and went into "panic and hoard" mode caused the trouble.

You might not like the expense of buying extra things you don't need today, yet as long as you only buy things you will eventually use anyway, you won't waste money. In fact, buying in bulk could save you money in the long run. It's worth checking out.

It won't hurt you to be ready, even if the virus doesn't come back.

That's the philosophy behind "prepping". Being prepared isn't going to hurt you, and it could help you. If not during a pandemic, then during a blizzard, water shortage, or power outage. Wouldn't you rather be ready than feel as helpless as you did last time?

Prepare your mind, too. Be ready to reject the fear-mongers next time around. Don't trust them to tell you the truth or to even know the truth. Don't tolerate another round of shut-downs. Don't allow them to make you feel helpless. As I reminded you when this first began, you know best how to protect your own health. Do what you know you need to do. You have the power and the ability. Use it to your advantage.

Maybe we'll be lucky and none of this will be needed, but wouldn't you feel bad if you ignored the warning and got caught unprepared?

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Changing your beliefs

I used to think people could change their beliefs.

I thought if people were presented with better information which showed the flaw in their belief, they would change their belief to fit the new information. I thought the process would be almost automatic.

After all, I've done it many times over the course of my life. I've also seen it happen in people I know. I know from personal experience that it can be done.

Sadly, it seems this isn't as common as I had assumed.

In spite of overwhelming evidence, people still believe cops (and political government) are good and necessary-- or, at least a "necessary evil" [sic]. They fear or hate anarchy without even understanding what it is. They imagine there's such a thing as "too much liberty" and see it as a threat.

No amount of information, logic, or evidence to the contrary will budge them from their belief. They believe it, and that's the end of it.

I realized the problem: even flawed beliefs based on bad information can still "work". It's not as dangerous to hold an erroneous belief as it seems it should be. So, as long as the belief isn't causing them immediate agony or death, it's less painful to hold onto it than to change it.

Therefore, I no longer expect better information to influence anyone, but I still put it out there so they'll have no excuse. And I'll still make fun of them for believing such ridiculous things.

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Writing to promote liberty is my job.
YOU get to decide if I get paid.
I hope I add something you find valuable enough to support.