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e Stockpiling stupidity
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¢ Religiosity in the time of COVID-19

..and more

We should use this time to contemplate

» COVID-19 has given us time to sit back and think

Tania Arora
Staff Writer

 

am sitting in my night suit while writing

this. The past four days of quarantine
were not easy. Honestly, the first couple
of days were very relaxing. I woke up
whenever I wanted to, finished work at
my own pace, and I had a reason to avoid
people without feeling guilty. I lived life
without a timeline.

The past few years have been hectic
for me. I’ve tried juggling work, studies,
and a social life in the best way possible but
always ended up fretting about how fast
life is for me and everyone else. | needed
a break. In an unfortunate way, my wish
has been granted—yet I couldn't handle it
for more than three days. My mood were
swinging much more than a girl on her
period. Every minute I prayed for things to
get better so that I could step out and do
something.

After all the complaining and whining,
I sat back on my fourth day of doing
nothing and realized that this time is
golden. This certainly isn’t true for those
who are sick, and I pray for them and their
families. But if you are trapped at home
why not just sit back and think?

Stockpiling

Think about what we have done so far
Let’s appreciate our journey so far. How all
of our efforts have helped us to grow and
have added value to our communities. The
journey wasn't easy, but we all made it.

Think calmly about our regrets and
understand them
We all have things we know we could have

stupidity

done differently and now we have the time
to work towards fixing them, even if it only
starts with a message.

Take this time to think about your
loved ones

We can express gratitude that they are with
us during this situation. If you have your
parents, siblings, or a spouse around you

 

right now, feel blessed. I am writing this
while separated from my family in another
country—words cannot express how that
feels, but ] am grateful for their health.

Think of your life goals

Make the best use of your time to work
towards them. You can manifest anything
by putting in the best efforts you can. Seize
every hour, because they are yours.

Think of the skills you possess

And look to improve them. Although I did
not like the idea of eating out, I was stuck
with it because I never was a good cook.
Most days I had no other option, so I forced
myself to cook. Now I have the chance to
do something about it. ] make one new
dish every day. Yes, | have overcooked and
undercooked the food a few times, but Iam
improving.

Think, plan, and inculcate good habits
T always hated sleeping in, but I couldn't
do much about it because of my working
hours. Now without shifts today, tomorrow,
or next week, I can work on this habit.

Don't think and just breathe

Just inhale and exhale. We can either just
focus on the negativity of the situation or
make the best of it.

» In this world of aggressive stockpiling, the only people losing are the people without bidets

Craig Allan
Staff Writer

 

There is no doubt about it, we are
living in unprecedented and scary times.
The world is being brought to its knees
by COVID-19. In the grips of such a
fearful pandemic, people are going to get
a little antsy. Some may resort to locking
themselves in a room for months, others
may be planning out their hospital route
for when that eventual cough comes,
but for many, combating the dreaded
coronavirus involves fighting it off with
their vast supply of... toilet paper?

Yes, with fear that supply chains are
going to collapse any minute, and that of
what the future may bring, people have
been hoarding items in preparation for
the denigration of capitalist supply. It
began with toilet paper, but considering
the fact that the disease does not involve
an abundance of a discharge from the
rectum, why exactly were so many
people buying toilet paper? When VICE
interviewed people in Australia to ask
them why, the most common answer
was simply “everyone else is buying it.”
Another reason may also be the size of the
packaging. Toilet paper takes up a lot of
space in a cart and can be easily seen.

Oddly enough, the mass toilet
paper buying spreads like a virus—much

like the coronavirus. One person saw
someone else picking up a lot of toilet
paper, and then they felt like they needed
to pick some up, and then another

person saw that, and it goes on until the
CEO of big Charmin is laughing on his
throne of toilet paper. It’s what I call the
“Sweepstakes theory.” This is the idea that
when people see others doing something
like lining up, honking in traffic, or buying
sweepstakes tickets, everyone else follows
suit because they worry about missing out
on the action.

But that isn’t the only item that is
being hoarded. Everything from surgical
and Ng5 masks, to hand sanitizer, and
even hundreds of packs of meat have
been hoarded for fear of running out. In
the case of meat, the infamous couple
who bought it out admitted that they
bought it out of panic. As for the surgical
masks, honestly, I wish they could just
sell Halloween masks right now. I mean,
the surgical masks don’t do much of
anything, so we might as well make them
fun. Seeing someone walking around in
an Alfred E. Neuman mask would at least
give me a chuckle (yes, I’m old).

This tragedy has brought a lot of
things. Death, unemployment, and the
need for distance. But it is in times like
these that I believe society brings out the
best in us. Whether it’s a kind message

of hope, or the expression that no matter
what race, sex, or background you are, we
are all in this together as citizens of the
world. The best cannot come out during
hoarding and panic buying. We must have
faith in the government when they say that
the supply lines are strong, and we must
not take items that we know others need.
If you run out of toilet paper and

 

carrt find any in the store, just remember
that you have a shower. It’s not the most
convenient, but neither is taking 20 packs
of toilet paper and depriving someone else
in need of that resource. Let’s engage in
sensible buying and remember that we can
beat this thing if we show care for others.
Everywhere from the hands to the heinie.

Illustration by Athena Little