The Greek god Pan must be rubbing his hands and licking his lips in perverse delight watching Americans respond to COVID-19.

While the word “pandemic” isn’t derived from Pan (it comes from the Greek words “pan” meaning “all” and “demos” for “people”), the word “panic” does originate from Pan, who caused frightened humans to “flee in unreasoning fear,” according to Merriam-Webster.

Though mere myth, Greek and Roman stories meaningfully convey eternal truths regarding human emotion. And the Greeks were especially spot-on when they invented Pan, since he embodies everything that is wrong about human nature in times of crisis when reason goes out the window and self-centeredness takes over.

In this age of pandemic, could Pan be the reason folks are hoarding toilet paper?

Is Pan making some people anti-socially distant as they practice an over-the-top, even rude, version of social distancing?

Is Pan the reason some people are wearing masks made of rolled-up T-shirts, as if that’s going to do any good when you attempt to remove it with unclean hands?

Is Pan the reason the government, including our own misguided Mills administration, is shutting down the economy, as if that will miraculously stop the inevitable spread of COVID-19?

Panic is a deadly emotion. Franklin Roosevelt, who took advantage of panic during the Great Depression to create a more socialist America through The New Deal, ironically told us not to panic because “the only thing we have to fear is fear itself.”

We saw panic on full, fevered display last month in the stock market. Thousands of Dow points were lost as investors tried to find refuge from the coronavirus-caused storm of uncertainty. When the market rebounds, they’ll be kicking themselves with regret, as all panicked sellers do.

Panic will get you killed in love and war, too. Consider the soldier, scared out of his wits, who leaps into action without considering the consequences. Think of the lover who can’t control his jealous emotions snuffing any hope of lasting love.

I’ve experienced some panic in my otherwise humdrum life and learned a pretty good lesson from it. I lived in Intifada-challenged Israel in the 1990s and had to use public transportation to and from work. Buses were being blown up by Palestinian terrorists at the time, so my daily commute was fraught with peril.

At first, I would watch as every new passenger boarded the bus, trying to figure out if they had a hidden bomb in a bag or under their clothing. I even worried when a bus drove past me on the street. After driving myself crazy with fear, I came to a peaceful understanding that if a bus were to be bombed with me nearby there was nothing I could do. When I realized my panic was useless, the commutes became more bearable. Yes, the danger was still real, but my fear, though rational, was useless.

In this pandemic, I’m reminded of those Israeli buses. While I take all necessary precautions to keep myself, my coworkers and my family members virus-free, I’m not going to let it ruin my life with unhappiness and non-productivity.

Here’s hoping our government comes to the same realization, and quick. I agree with “flattening the curve” to buy time to arm our healthcare system with ventilators and protective gear, but at some point the panic must cease and we need to go back to work and school. Because, really, we can only panic for so long before it destroys us.

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