The case for honest fear

Why would anyone be embarrassed to be scared while those around them are dying? Why are we turned against honest emotion?

Don’t catch feelings.

Be the “chill girl.”

No regrets.

The fear might be more dangerous than the disease…

As of this year, people are considered “fearmongers” if they talk honestly about a pandemic in which 40,000 people have died in fewer than two months.

I’ve got an idea.

Let’s be strong and admit that it’s ok to be scared of a once-in-a-century virus that sometimes appears to kill quickly and indiscriminately.

People have searched for reasons to believe it won’t affect them — to believe their fairy tale that it will only touch certain people. “Oh, it’s only people with this or that condition.” Even if that were true, those folks don’t deserve to die that way either.

It is perfectly ok to be angry, sad, or passionate, or even to love someone who seems unreachable. It means you’re a human being with a good heart.

Today we’re hearing from people who dislike the idea of worry. The danger is, they may choose to downplay or squelch life-saving facts in order to avoid feeling —…