Editorial: Kindness will defeat fear

EDITORIAL: It’s easy to see why Australians are unsettled as the COVID-19 pandemic spreads, but if we help each other and practise small acts of kindness, we will get past this crisis together.

THERE is nothing like fear and ignorance to bring out the worst in people.

In recent days, we have seen panic-buying involving brawls, abuse and even a stabbing in supermarkets. Racial taunts and intolerance are commonplace, and for those who are managing to keep their cool, anger and anxiety is bubbling just below the surface.

It’s easy to see why Australians are unsettled. The COVID-19 pandemic sweeping the globe is scary stuff. As of last night there were close to 200,000 cases worldwide and nearly 8000 deaths. Outside of China, which has had about 81,000 cases, Italy (31,500), Iran (16,100) and Spain (11,800) have all been swamped by the pandemic.

In Australia by last night there were more than 560 infections reported and six deaths. All this in just 72 days since the first case of coronavirus was recorded.

The race is on to “flatten the curve” — to control infection rates so our hospitals stand a chance against this deadly disease.

It’s all a bit overwhelming. But for those who are feeling frightened, imagine what it feels like if you are immunocompromised.

Imagine if you, your child or elderly parent is undergoing chemotherapy. What if you have problems getting around, live alone and can’t find a shop with toilet paper?

What if you are working as a shop assistant and you are being shouted at, pushed and scratched just for trying to do your job?

What if you are a nurse or doctor working in our overstretched health system with a sense of dread?

What if you are a homeless person with nowhere to sleep, nowhere to wash and health problems exacerbated by poor hygiene?

When you are feeling worried about your plight, it is often a useful exercise to pause and think of others worse off than yourself.

It’s this attitude which is prompting many Australians to reverse the trend of panic-buying selfishness. A Kindness Pandemic movement has been established to celebrate the small acts of kindness which are bringing communities together.

One post tells of an elderly neighbour who cooks a meal for a young couple forced into quarantine and the couple find it still hot in their letterbox covered in foil. Another tells of a young woman who rises at 5am to buy a 12-pack of toilet paper and leaves half the rolls for her elderly neighbour who’s survived three strokes, has leukaemia, is on crutches and has no family or friends for support.

Anonymous notes are being left for retail workers to tell them what great jobs they are doing, snacks are being bought for lunch rooms of healthcare workers and care packs distributed to elderly neighbours.

Hobart events worker Natasha Wardale is using her local Good Karma Network Facebook group to offer shopping assistance for neighbours.

These are the stories which we must focus on in troubled times. If we help each other and practise small acts of kindness and love, we will get past this crisis together.