Fear

Fear. Fear is a concept that everyone relates to and everyone can partake in. The coronavirus has spread widespread fear all around the globe. Schools have shutdown. Trump just closed the border to all flights from Europe. Grocery stores have been close to empty. People act irrationally out of fear. It is one thing to buy extra toilet paper out of fear but it is another thing to treat people differently because of it. Upon arriving home, every conversation I have had has been about the coronavirus. I have been on self-quarantine for 14 days and not welcome back to school because I studied in a country where the coronavirus is present, even though Rome, the city I studied in, had no active cases when I left. People have looked at me with odd glances, have asked me if I should be in public, and have accused me of having the virus when I sniffle. I am not welcome back to school. However, over spring break, students traveled to coronavirus infected areas all over the United States. Anyone, and I repeat, anyone, could have this virus. In fact, I do not know of anyone whom which I studied abroad with that has the virus. However, I do know people on US soil, who haven’t left US soil, who have the virus. So I now have a thought. Maybe we, as a country, should reevaluate what our fear does to other people. In this time, we should be banning together and fighting the spread of the virus. Instead we are stigmatizing people. I feel like an outsider in my own home. I should have sought comfort after leaving Italy in my own home but instead, I find myself wanting to be anywhere but where people know me. This is not fair. This is not right. Don’t let fear run your life. Most importantly, be a nice person and stop, for the love of God, living in fear.