Dear Editor,

I need to express my deepest disappointment with the American people during this trying time our country is going through. It seems to me that we have become a people who whine when problems come our way, no matter what kind or how serious they are. The panic that is playing out in the grocery stores, convenience stores, etc. is appalling. How have we allowed ourselves to become so self-centered, so greedy, and so uncaring? The American peoples’ morals have sunk to a new low.
I thought we would be protected from all the panic because of where we live but I was wrong, very wrong. A man told The Colonel about two women fighting over a loaf of bread; one tugged on one end and the other woman was pulling on the other end. Of course, the bag broke and the bread went everywhere. No one gained from that little ruckus. My sons live in Plano, TX and they have said it is absolutely wild up there. I replied that we were fortunate to be living away from any big city. Then The Colonel comes home and tells me people were panicking in this area…he had not gone to Fairfield, so I am hoping it was calm here.
Every year we hold the National Day of Prayer and every year we ask for people to pray every day for our country, our leaders, our armed forces, our first responders, our families, our churches, and our schools. We have had rough times in the past in this country; wars, a Great Depression, countless storms that have destroyed homes, viruses that have killed children, adults, and senior citizens. Our citizens were able to handle these, all these devastating events without panic. What makes this one so different? This is America and we as a nation should be strong enough to recognize that we can stand up against this one too. The stores have already announced that they are still having trucks deliver food and products to the stores every day. So, even if the shelves are empty when we go to the store, most likely they will be filled the next day.
Part of the problem, I believe, is the way the news people are handling this crisis. They are creating panic by covering this twenty-four (24) hours a day. We need to know what is going on, but we don’t need to hear it all day long and we need the reporters to just state the facts and not emboldened their stories.
The other part of the problem is us. We are used to having whatever we want in an almost instant response. We use our computers, our smartphones, and our other devices so we have instant response to whatever we ask, order, or look up. We can’t even go out to eat without taking our smartphones with us. So what if someone can’t reach us while we are breaking bread with family or friends? Ask yourself, what did you do before cell phones when you left your house? We expect someone, anyone to stop this virus immediately and when they haven’t, we panic. Sad. So very sad.
I believe our faith in God saw us through all the wars, depression, etc. because this nation had a strong covenant with God. He will see us through this also. We must have strong faith, so I am asking once more that you pray for our country, our leaders, our armed forces, our first responders, our families, our churches, and our schools every day.

Jan Fielden
Fairfield, TX