As a hermit who neither interacts with other people nor follows the news, I've paid little attention to an international viral epidemic that's reaping the old and weak at the moment. It hasn't really affected my life. Or it hadn't, until today, when I went to the local shopping center and saw that people were emptying the hypermarkets of toilet paper.
Toilet paper.
Freaking toilet paper!
Generally, I have nothing against hoarding. And for some people - and those people seem large in number - having a huge pile of toilet paper in their house somehow gives them a sense of control or security. Also I've been told that toilet paper factories are increasing their output to meet the demand.
At the risk of sounding like a little spoled brat, I'll just say this: I hope that the stores won't run out of anything I want to buy when I want to buy them. I'm used to being able to get what I want, and I don't know how I'd react if they suddenly ran out of vanilla Häagen-Dazs.
Actually... wait a minute.
I changed my mind. I hope they DO run out of vanilla Häagen-Dazs. What could possibly be a better opportunity to practice some good old personal growth?
Between stimulus and response! Yes! Make my life as inconvenient as possible. Close down the swimming hall and the shopping centers and the cafes and the trains and force me to come up with new solutions when it comes to getting around, exercising, and finding a place to work. If I can't work around some small obstacles like these, how can I ever expect myself to succeed in life?
It's funny how the fundamental moral judgements of things - good or bad - change when you think about them from a perspective that, instead of hindering you, benefits you.
RK
