panic=problems

Rational thinking got pushed aside at the end of this week. It's easy to see how a frenzy can be so easily whipped up, and my eyes were opened to the fragility of our economy. Our econmy rides on the perception and emotion of the masses. Everything runs smoothly, until there is a scare that a necessity might not be available. Then suddenly everyone wants to stock up on that necessity at the same instant. The problem is, goods are only available at a certain pace. So we see all motorists fueling their cars, even if they don't really need to, and supply runs short. As supply runs short, panic causes demand to push even higher. We see longer lines, fights, stealing, anger, fear, and even despair begin to swell. It is so clear how the great crash and depression occured almost a hundred years ago. A frantic mass all demanding the same thing at the same time= total chaos and destruction. It all boils down to the most basic fact of humanity...selfishness. Not that people are knowingly behaving selfishly. It's more of the deep undercurrent of our character that moves us to watch out for our own needs and our family's needs above all else. It's probably a good survival instinct in some ways. However, being wrapped up in fear for self can sometimes lead to clouded thought, especially in large groups. Most of us secretly know that what we are doing is pushing the system out of whack, but as long as we get ours...it's just too bad for the other guy.