I have lived through several low level panics that send chills throughout communities.
-I grew up in a culture of Cold War. When I was just a kid, our schools taught us how to duck under our desks in case of a nuclear weapon.
-Then when I was in a Florida college rumors got out that a title wave was going to wipe out Florida. One student actually left school and went back to his home state.
-In 1988 Jesus was supposed to return. A NASA engineer wrote a pamphlet called 88 Reasons Why the Rapture Will Be in 1988. The feeling of excitement and/or fear permeated certain communities and individuals.
-In the late 1990s, many were convinced that the entire computer world was going to crash with Y2K. As 2000 came and went, nothing happened.
-In 2011 people sold houses and left bills unpaid as Harold Camping told them that Jesus was going to return in May, and when May came and went, he predicted October. Jesus didn't return.
People fear and these events give real possibilities for fearful people to hang their fears on. It seems that people need to find things to fear in order to justify what they feel inside. Fear of opposing political parties' presidents and politicians can meet a certain amount of their needs to find reasons to be afraid (whether real or imaginary), but events like those mentioned above are far easier to grab onto.
As I write Ebola is the latest event on which people hang their fears. False reports of children and health workers getting Ebola spread like wild fire on Facebook.com. I've been through these fears before and there will be more in years to come, but having said that; I believe that history tells us that the day will come that we will face a real world changing event. Will that be Ebola? How should I prepare for something like Ebola or a comet hitting the earth or some other global disaster?
THE FIRST CENTURY PANIC
Jesus predicted a real life changing disaster that was going to come
upon the people of his time. Less than 40 years after he prophesied of the event, the Roman army tore down the
temple and the city of Jerusalem. The women were raped and the people
were starved and killed. This was a real event preceded by real fears, but a lot of that the tragedy happened because people were acting out on their fears.
When people fear, they often give into irrational emotions. Some jump on fear filled band wagons with others who fear the same, and as a group becomes unpredictable and sometimes dangerous. In the mid 1st Century, bands of fear filled and angry people gathered together to resist the Roman dominance. That rebellion was the beginning of the end for Judah.
Here are some suggestions for these times and the future fears we will face as a nation and a world. These suggestions are based on what Jesus told his disciples about the coming tragedy they were going to see.
LOOK FOR REALITY
The reality is this: There may be a real event coming or else there is nothing but fear out there. Jesus told his disciples that a day was coming when the temple would be destroyed. That would be like telling an American that the White House was going to be destroyed along with New York City. It was the epitome of disasters for a 1st Century Jew. Jesus said the Roman army would surround Jerusalem and that there would be terror. That would be like telling Europeans that their countries would be devastated and death was coming.
As events unfolded during the first Century, the disciples lived in a culture of fear and panic going on all around them. They didn't know when Roman armies would destroy Jerusalem and they didn't know if they would live through the time of destruction. People all around them lived in constant fear that something terrible was about to happen.
During their day, rumors would spread like wildfire and because rumors were so rampant, fear would rise to even greater levels. Jesus told his followers not to be troubled and not to be deceived. During these times of fear, it is easy to fall into the trap of fear and panic. In Salem, MA when fear was growing in the early colony, Pietists lashed out, hoping to protect themselves from their fears. So they slaughtered innocent women believing that they were witches bringing darkness into the colony. Several years later, after the fear subsided, some of the accusers and judges apologized for what they did, but it was too late.
All these people lost track of reality and lived in their fears. Even if real disaster is on the horizon, we need to keep a calm head and watch out for those who capitalize on fear.
DON'T LISTEN TO THE THOSE WHO CAPITALIZE ON THE FEAR
In Jesus time, leaders who rode the waves of group fears were either named or called themselves messiahs. These leaders took dozens and sometimes hundreds of followers and led them into battle or into the desert to wait for God to act on their behalf. Most of the times Roman armies were brought in to kill off the people and their leaders. Acting out on their fears and stimulating the fears of the people always ended in disaster.
Jesus warned his disciples to avoid these leaders and stay away from them even though they were capable of gathering large numbers to them.
Today we have leaders and media talkers who capitalize on fear. They tell us everything that is going wrong and paint bleak pictures of the future. I believe that Jesus tells us to stay away from these people because they are misleading us.
DON'T LISTEN TO THE RUMORS
In the ancient times news traveled by word of mouth. There were nothing to read that would be termed "Current Events," so rumors could get very wild and terrifying. Today there is a certain level of fact finding that goes on in the media which helps but does not stop the wild rumor factories. Facebook has become filled with rumors that jump on the latest fears. One such rumor stated that a class of Kindergarten kids (5 and 6 years old) got Ebola from an Ethiopian classmate. These rumors spread as true events and the rumors tell us that the government is trying to cover up the true events.
After studying the dynamics of Urban Legends, I have been able to catch most of these rumors because they have a distinct aura to them - one of which is that many urban legends capitalize on fear, serving to give credence to unfounded fear. In other words, if I am afraid that Ebola is going to reach my neighborhood and the people I care about the most; if I am convinced that the government is covering up the real story; if I have unconscious or conscious xenophobia (fear of outsiders - like they are taking over the country); all these dynamics can be encapsulated in a story that gives the worst case scenario - an entire class of kids coming down with the feared disease because of an African kid.
There were other stories that surfaced as well - each promoting and giving life to the fear that is around us.
Jesus said that there would be rumors in his day before things went bad and he told his listeners not to be misled. When we hear rumors and "facts" about Ebola, don't just give into the hype. Check the facts.
DO NOT GET SWEPT INTO THE PANIC
This is important. Preceding whatever event will change life as we know it there may either be no warning (nuclear bomb) or there might be fear that builds up as people make more and more predictions and tell more and more wild stories like as in the case of Ebola. Whatever the case may be, it is wise not to give in to the fear. You may feel the presence of fear and as a result you may be certain that something big is on the rise, but chances are, your fear is unfounded. Even if the predicted disaster is upon us, your fear is not your friend. In the end, fear will promote you to believe wild stories (not good), and take wild action (really bad).
Fear causes people to commit suicide (as when the Stock Market crashed), sell off property (as when the rapture is predicted), build bunkers (big during the Y2K and after), or join in on some genocide (as has happened dozens of times throughout history). Fear is not rational and just because it is in you (as it is in all of us) does not mean you should give into it. Listen to the rational side of you, if it is there.
WHAT JESUS SAID ABOUT PREPARATION
During Y2K a lot of people built bunkers to protect themselves from certain disasters. My brother in law stocked food 20 years before that because he was sure the apocalypse was coming soon. His food went bad after a few years and he lost most of it.
Jesus told his audience that there would be suffering and that they should accept it without giving into all the hype and all the fear. He also told them to be ready for the events that were to unfold; not by building walls of protection, but by building a life dedicated to serving others, because when the evil day unexpectedly came they would be ready to meet their maker.
