Acts of kindness disinfect the world

So far, we've heard of someone baking and giving away free bread, young people handing out free toilet rolls and locals actually helping elderly people to shop at supermarkets.

That's just in our neck of the woods.

Worldwide there are Facebook groups set up to help people stuck at home, others are offering shopping trips for their neighbours. Small businesses, while struggling to keep afloat themselves, are delivering free lunches. Parisians applaud police and caregivers. And Italians, as only they can, are delivering free concerts from their balconies.

In these strange and discombobulating times it is worth remembering that our little human universe runs along much the same lines as the big one, and that Newton was right when he said "for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction".

So for every stupid, crass and selfish thing you read about human behaviour in the face of this pandemic, there are examples of beauty, kindness and altruism that are equally as powerful and ultimately more life-changing. Just like diamonds — you have to dig for them because there's a lot of dirt out there.

And just as "flattening the curve" of Covid-19 infection is a serious and worthwhile goal, so is the need to flatten the curve of fear and panic.

I'm probably horribly naive, but I believe that as with the recent bushfires, we can choose to live in the light or grub around in the dark. Our psychological state is as fragile as our physical one and needs to be fed with light and life-giving nutrients just like a wildflower after fire.

So don't pass on rumour, either spoken or transmitted. Don't panic-buy — in the words of Scott Morrison: just stop it. Stay off social media and follow reliable news sources such as government departments, the ABC and dare I say it, local media, for information.

Unfortunately, just like supermarket workers, regional journalists often bear the brunt of people's frustration and anger during these troubled times. We are accused, often daily, of fuelling the frenzy or covering up the truth or chasing money.

I am mindful of the young journalists I work alongside here at The News every day. Many are not from Shepparton but are living in our community away from their family and friends and work hard to present a balanced and ethical view of our city and the issues it faces. So be kind to the people who are trying to shine a light through this fog of fear and rumour.

Finally, if you are in isolation, enjoy your days with a book, a long and uplifting piece of music played through an equally long home-cooked meal, a board game, footy replays, a Netflix splurge, or conversations you never had the time for. In years to come, this will be seen as a strange and transformative episode in our lives. So make the most, and the best, of it.

Right now, we pray that we never see these fearful days again, but when the world returns to its frantic normality the chance these days now offer, to slow down and listen, will be a memory and may never actually come again.