I routinely encounter patients who are afraid of the wrong things. An elderly patient announced he won’t be getting his covid19 vaccine as he heard tell three people in England died after receiving theirs. This same person smokes cigarettes at a pack a day. Patients are not the only ones afraid of the wrong things, out course. One of my brothers refuses to take medication for high cholesterol on the (rare) chance it could cause side effects but he regularly buys lottery tickets hoping that pays off.
You get the picture. People are notoriously lousy at assessing risk.
I hear the number of people who die each year from shark attacks can be counted one or or two hands, but we had to be dragged kicking and screaming into wearing seat belts to safeguard us from the far more likely chance someday we will be in an accident.*
I think I am pretty good at discriminating neurotic fears from legitimate ones. The biggest fear I ought to have – and do have – is cardiovascular disease. I am far more likely to have a heart attack or a stroke than being attacked on the street. This is why I feel the need to exercise and I do feel the need to carry a gun.**
Don’t think I am above stupid fears. The monkey part of my brain still goes immediate to full panic at the sight of a scorpion in the house before the wiser part (near the front) reminds me no one dies of a scorpion bite and they do not jump, so knock it off.
One may not be able to stop being afraid of the wrong things but with some logic one can lay off the Lotto tickets and use the saved money to buy more vegetables.
Then there are the folks who aren’t afraid of things when the ought to be.Elderly male patients often won’t get rid of their guns even though statistics support they are far more likely to use the gun to kill themselves than on an intruder.
I must hold my tongue to ask the mask-less man on the street if you are not wearing a mask as you are putting your trust in G-d, why then do you feel a need to carry a gun?
It is an ongoing process, trying not to be afraid of the wrong things and being fearful of the right things.
Wear a seat belt!
Stop smoking!
Wear a mask and wash your hands after using the restroom!
Get exercise!
And stop eating crap !
*Seat belts have a grim history that when they were first considered the auto industry was heavily opposed to putting them in cars as it implied their product was hazardous. Later on when they were installed there were ads encouraging drivers to buckle up for their own good. These ads were a flop. Then it became law, and only then did people buckle up – and the deaths from car accidents plummeted. It is an example of forcing people to do what’s right pays off when simple encouragement fails.
**These fears seem to be flipped in Trump supporters, at least by how they look anyway. They often look heavily armed and grossly obese.