A Nation of Worry Warts

 

 

When America was in the depths of the Great Depression, FDR rallied the nation by telling suffering Americans they had nothing to fear, but fear itself.  Oh, how far we’ve fallen since those lofty words of President Roosevelt.  Simply put, we’ve become a nation of worry warts, fearing everything, including fear itself.

I’m not talking about the big stuff – North Korean nukes, climate change, terrorism, and the sorry state of American politics.  I’m more concerned about our national state of perpetual anxiety due to a steady drip, drip, drip of dire warnings on TV and social media.

Amazingly, we all survived another holiday season.  Thankfully, no children swallowed razor blades hidden in their Halloween candy, or disappeared into a neighbor’s house, never to be seen again.  Thanksgiving came and went with nobody dying from an improperly thawed turkey or leftovers that set out one minute past the two-hour limit.

And then there was Christmas which, thankfully, came and went without any scandalous headlines.  We made it through the season with no talking dolls repeating subliminal  occultist messages, or other toys that scarred children for life because they were not age-appropriate according to Pinterest guidelines.  Even so, plenty of decorators worried that their color schemes weren’t up to Hallmark movie standards of perfection.

Now, with the beginning of a new year, we return to the everyday anxieties of modern-day living.  We have strict guidelines to follow regarding our food, health, parenting, and life in general.  As if all that helpfulness isn’t enough, we also get a daily dose of dire warnings from social media.

Women, for example, are in constant danger.  Constant.  This is a fact because stories shared on Facebook warn of nefarious characters lurking about and following women in malls in Cedar Rapids, Minneapolis, Rapid City, and other communities around the country.  I know this is true because I saw it on Facebook again this morning and it happened to Susie’s cousin’s neighbor’s aunt’s daughter last night in Kalamazoo.

Even leaving a store and getting in your car can be hazardous.  Whatever you do, don’t get into your car and then get back out to retrieve a piece of paper tucked under your windshield wiper.  Doing so will leave you vulnerable to the nefarious characters from the mall who have now moved outside to continue lurking.

Drivers are also cautioned to be aware of scam artists. The usual cautionary scenario warns motorists about stopping when they happen upon an infant in a car seat by the side of the road. If you see this, DO NOT STOP!  Just keep on driving. It’s a trap.  Bands of thieves are using babies buckled in-car seats as bait. Any erstwhile good Samaritan is in grave danger of being robbed if he or she pulls over.  Please remember this the next time you see a baby in a car seat on the side of an Iowa blacktop.

You can also stop using antibacterial soap – and detergent – and floor cleaner – and baby wipes!  For years we prided ourselves on taking cleanliness to a whole new level because our products were anti-bacterial.  Now, another batch of experts swoop in and declare anti-bacterial soap verboten.  New studies show the antibacterial component, triclosan, not only make us more vulnerable to illness because we’re losing our ability to fight germs, it’s also harmful to the environment.  Not clean enough?  Too clean?  My head is spinning.

If you worry about foods causing cancer or high cholesterol, please stop.  (Don’t necessarily stop eating the food, just stop worrying about it.)   Whatever the experts say, give it a few months and another study will come out reversing the advice.

Take eggs for example.  The poor, innocent egg.  For years, it was thought to be the primary cause of clogged arteries and recommended intake was limited to one egg per week.  Low and behold, researchers now discover what our grandmothers instinctively knew – eggs are good for us!  We can eat as many as we want and even feed them to babies because of the high nutritional value.

The story’s the same with butter, coffee, and numerous other ordinary foods that we enjoy.  One day they’re killing us and the next they are helping us live longer.   By the way, you can stop gagging while drinking those final eight full glasses of water every day.  The most recent data show that earlier researchers neglected to add liquids found in foods and other beverages to the daily total of fluid ounces a person needs.  Bottom line – drink water when you’re thirsty.

As we begin a new year, let’s take a collective deep breath and resolve to lighten up.  Let’s stop being a nation of wimps.  Away with this ‘sky is falling’ mentality!  Common sense usually tops expert advice – and warnings on social media, as well.