Slow Your Roll
I've been thinking a lot about the toilet paper hoarding lately, and the more I've thought about it the more compassion I've had.
It’s about the toilet paper, but it’s not about the toilet paper.
We're facing what seems like an impossible situation for many. Lots of folks have never had an emergency kit of food and supplies on hand, or have had to prepare one before. No one wants to get sick, and the data coming out of other countries is sobering. People are scared and that is a healthy and normal reaction to what is going on at this time.
When people feel overwhelmed and scared, we tend to latch onto the first "right action" that comes to mind.
It gives us a feeling of control -- of "doing something". For me, that was assembling our stock of supplies a few weeks ago, and then topping it up this week. For others, it is near obsessive hand washing, or Googling recipes for homemade hand sanitizer, or cancelling vacations.
I see Folks buying way too much toilet paper right now and what I see are people trying to find a sense of control and security in a scary and unpredictable situation because they are not sure what else to do. The one thing that they know for certain they'll need for a 2wk-4wk isolation or quarantine is toilet paper.
Yes, they're buying too much.
Yes, if you're running low because you didn't stock up on an extra pack a couple weeks back it's a bit of a pain and it means that you might need to go to the stores next week instead.
No, Canada isn't going to run out of toilet paper.
In the meantime, please show compassion to the people around you in your community. Ridiculing them and calling them selfish is, IMO, pretty harsh. People are worried and want to be prepared, but not everyone has the knowledge or understanding to know what that should look like.
We are all in this together, so let’s do our best to support the people around us. School closures are going to hit working families hard, not everyone has the luxury of working from home, not everyone has a local support network, not everyone has the financial security to assemble an emergency kit.
Look around you and see who could use some help. If you can, donate some food and supplies to your local community food center. Make sure your elderly neighbours have someone who can deliver them groceries. Take in the child of the working single mum who cannot afford to stay home during the school closures. Be smart. Be kind. Be a good human.