Walk a little slower

Although prone to a quick temper, my late brother-in-law Tom Chapman often said “Take a drink of water and walk a little slower.”

Such advice is needed as we face hysteria engendered by the coronavirus that may dwarf the disease itself. Historically, this outbreak pales next to past pandemics. The long Middle Ages’ Black Death saw large percentages of the Eurasian populace succumb (among the deaths was a 23-year old Italian postulant named Aloysius de Gonzaga).

Much later, in the last years of World War I, the Spanish Flu ravaged the entire world, with estimates as high as 100 million deaths — almost 5% of the Earth’s 2 billion population. In Spokane, totals ranging from 562 to 1,045 deaths occurred among the 150,000 population, 99.3% of everyone else either surviving or never catching the virus (my own grandmother Minnie Shivley, aged 26, was among the former).

With the proper local, state and federal regulations (some perhaps draconian), the spread should be limited, so panic buying of staple goods is unwarranted. After Sept. 11th, 2001, there were many closures and cancellations, but we united against an unseen enemy. In doing so today, let’s unite again and walk a little slower.

Dale Roloff

Spokane