THE FEAR THAT KILLS

Isn't it amazing how something like a little virus can change the course of the world?  Our study into Christian Fatherhood was interrupted by the necessity of isolation due to the Wuhan Chinese Coronavirus.  I have some questions and some observations.  For the first time I'd like for you to leave a comment to some of the questions I raise.
My situation is unique, in that I've had the privilege of working in a rental house where no one lives. The financial pressures that have crushed so many of us in our little town haven't affected me, yet.  I currently have two outdoor jobs on my docket that don't bring me in contact with anyone except to receive my check, so I'm looking forward to about another two weeks of employment. God has never failed me, and the Wuhan Chinese Coronavirus can't stop his love and favor toward me.
As all of you know, I'm an introvert, which makes the whole social distancing thing easy for me.  Wake up, read, pray, go to work, come home, watch TV, read, go to sleep.  Yay!   All the introverts in the world are probably more relaxed than you've ever seen them.   Extroverts, my heart breaks for you.  I'm not insensitive, I know there are people who are more frustrated than ever.  For most people, the need to socialize is like life and breath.  That is why I'm interested in what you are going through right now.
For those of you who are young fathers, how has the social distancing worked with your children?   At first I bet most of them were happy about not having school, but then......Whew, you can only play so long by yourself.  Have you exhausted all of your video library?  Are YOU tired of Disney+ ? 
How have you done as a father in the midst of this?  Have you thrown everything on your wife?  Is she stuck at home while you do what little work you can?  Do you let the kids get outside?   Do you let your wife go outside?  Do you know that women make up about 60% of those infected with the Chinese Coronavirus in Arkansas? 
I'm just really curious as to how this all affected you. 
What I've observed over the last couple of weeks is an interesting, but subtle change to the community I live in. 
I don't see as many children. 
While this virus is deadly to old people like me, it is interesting that I don't see little children.  It doesn't matter what time of day I'm out and about, I don't see little ones.  It's as if we've hidden away our younglings.  Normally when I go into Home Depot during the middle of the day I can count on seeing at least ten or twelve children in tow.  I don't think I've seen a child in Home Depot in over a week.  I don't see little children in cars or trucks, in stores, or even outside just playing in the yard.  Hmmm, where are they?   It really does amaze me.  Are we afraid they'll get it?  Are we afraid they'll give the virus to some old geezer like me?  To be transparent with you, of all the things about this social distancing thing I dislike the most, it is the absence of the sound of children.  I miss the laughter. 
Do your children understand any of this? 
Have you used the extra time at home to teach and share more? 
Without the distractions of social interactions, have you learned anything new about your children? 
I don't expect this isolation mess to go on much longer.  I know it sounds cruel, but if the deadly side of the virus continues to target people sixty years old and upward, I believe a moral decision will be made to continue life as usual, and let nature have its course.  Don't get me wrong, I'm in the risk group, but I'm fed up with the destruction this fear has done to our nation.  I know there are people who hate the comparison to the annual flue death rate, but the facts are the facts.  We allow millions to be infected with the flue each year (for which we do have vaccines), and then every year we watch as hundreds of thousands of us die from it every year.  We don't social distance, we don't gasp in fear, we don't have the media giving us flu death totals every fifteen minutes on the chyrons  on our favorite 24 hour news service. It seems as if we've allowed the drunken town criers of our mainstream news media the power to lock us up in our homes with fear.  My greatest concern is what this is doing to our children.
Look into the eyes of your child, is there fear in those eyes.  If we live our lives in fear, we aren't living.  Fear is a healthy thing up to a point, then it becomes a mindless killer.  If you were really afraid of subjecting your child to the risk of death, you wouldn't take them in a car, ANYWHERE.  You wouldn't take your child anyplace with the risk of death, and you would kill them with your fear. 
I will be glad when our leaders come to their senses, then I'll hear the sound of children's laughter, the angry scream of demanding toddlers, and watch them play gleefully with one another as they head back to school. 
I miss the joyous children in our faith fellowship. Yes, I'm aware of the congregations who've held services, and ended up being infected with the virus.  I promise you, this bug will infect up to 75% of our population by the time its over.  I also believe we'll develop a vaccine for it.  I also believe we'll find a treatment for it.  It's what we do, we overcome.  However, if we succumb to  fear...we die a worse death.  Turn the stinking TV news off.
Let me know how the whole social distancing thing has worked for you.  As for me, I miss the kids.