Q& A Reality Check for Pandemic Fears Cedars-Sinai Skip to content Close Select your preferred language English عربى 简体中文 繁體中文 فارسي עִברִית 日本語 한국어 Русский Español Tagalog Menu Close Call 1-800-CEDARS-1 toggle search form Close Share Email Print discoveries magazine Discoveries Q& A Reality Check for Pandemic Fears Feb 23, 2021 Cedars-Sinai Staff Share Tweet Post The COVID-19 pandemic fills life with uncertainties and fears on many fronts. Stuart Finder, PhD, director of the Cedars-Sinai Center for Ethics, suggests stepping back, taking a deep breath and putting things into perspective. Q How can we adjust our mindset to better cope with the unknown A. We’ve lived through a time when the world was pretty stable, but if you go back in history you find disease, war, famine, the Great Depression. The pandemic has confronted us with the reality that life is tenuous for everybody. We want a magic bullet that will make everything go back to normal. What can help is to adjust to the idea that life has always been tenuous, and we need to embrace what we have when we have it. Q Could a COVID-19 vaccine be a magic bullet A. Between now and when the world is vaccinated, we’re going to have to be engaged in a lot of physical distancing, handwashing, masking. Things can be more normal-like, but it’s not a magic bullet. Also, viruses don’t know national borders. We have to look around the world and recognize that a lot of people may not have access to vaccine for a long time. We can’t pretend that the virus goes away because there’s a vaccine. Q How do you think about the risks of life in a pandemic A. In everyday life, so many things we do are based on trust. Take driving, for example. Every time we get in our cars, there are risks we don’t think about. We’re in a system in which we are required to demonstrate that we are trustworthy, so we don’t swerve all over the freeway. We trust others to do the same. Much of what I do is oriented toward having concern for others, and I’m almost completely blind to it because it’s so normal. This is an important thing the pandemic is causing us to recognize. We wear masks to protect others. This can be a time when we develop even greater empathy and connection with others. Tags COVID-19 Expert Advice news-notes Share Tweet Post Blog & Magazines catalyst Blog & Magazines Home CS-Blog Blog CS Magazine Cedars-Sinai Magazine discoveries magazine Discoveries Magazine Embracing our Community Embracing Our Community Blog & Magazines catalyst Blog & Magazines Home CS-Blog Blog Embracing our Community Embracing Our Community CS Magazine Cedars-Sinai Magazine discoveries magazine Discoveries Magazine Popular Topics Patients Scientists Innovations Quick Reads Weird Science Make an Appointment Find a Doctor Schedule a Callback Call us 24 hours a day 1-800-CEDARS-1 Support Cedars-Sinai MAKE A GIFT VOLUNTEER Share Email Print Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility