Panic is named after the half-human, half-animal Greek god Pan, who was said to have the ability to inspire an irresistable, desperate urge to run away, as if a terrifying doom was about to arrive. When we feel panic, we lose the ability to calm ourselves down and make rational assessments of the risks that we face and the most reasonable responses to them. Panic compels us into instinctive, fearful reaction.
In the spring of 2020, the sudden global spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus created a widespread panic, manifested in the phenomenon of panic shopping. People went out to grocery stores and bought massive amounts of food and household supplies. Many people didn’t stop to think about why they were buying what they were buying. If they saw other people grabbing an item to put into their carts, they followed suit. Toilet paper was a special obsession, and was bought so rapidly that in many places it could not be found on store shelves for an entire month.
People behaved as if the pandemic was on the verge of ripping society apart, and in their rush to empty store shelves, they ensured that their fears would come true. Months later, we’re still trying to put the pieces back together, as waves of panicked retreat and premature re-entry into public spaces makes calm management of public health nearly impossible.
