The Great Toilet Paper Kerfuffle of 2020

This whole toilet paper kerfuffle reminds me that while we hold the mind of self-cherishing (me, me, me, mine, mine, mine – in a nutshell) we are unable to see the truth clearly.

            I was chatting to a nurse in the dog park yesterday who said that the rush on toilet paper in Sydney and surrounds was embarrassing because it makes no sense. She said that the NSW Health guidelines regarding Coronavirus were not being reflected in the media. She told me that each year many people die of the flu, that this is a daily occurrence at the hospital she works at and yet we don’t rush out and madly buy up toilet paper supplies until the shelves are empty. Why? Because we don’t isolate ourselves during flu season despite the greater risk of death.

            If we don’t quarantine ourselves during flu season why would we need to do so now when for most of us to catch this latest virus, would not lead to anything more severe than the symptoms of a mild cold? Her words, not mine. She said that we also know that diarrhoea is not a symptom of COVID-19 so why the toilet paper obsession.

            What has stockpiling toilet paper got to do with self-cherishing?

            This unrealistic mind of self-cherishing that thinks that I am the most important person in the world (and by association everything to do with me such as my family) has meant that the facts of this illness have become irrelevant. It has caused a few people to think that they need to stockpile toilet paper and other items for them and theirs during this current pandemic. Following that we all got on the bandwagon and empty shelves are the result. Some people must have lots of toilet paper and others are running out.

            I thought about where this could lead. I suppose we would have some people comfortably wiping their bottoms and smiling to themselves at their cunning plan to accumulate bog roll while others make do. Or ask for some. Maybe the person who stockpiled loo paper would sell it at a profit.

            When I did my grocery shopping early this week I was unable to buy toilet paper because there was none in Coles. We are down to eight rolls. The mind of self-cherishing led me to think, what if we run out? Not anyone else, not the family next door or the bloke across the road but me and my family.  I’m embarrassed to say that yesterday I visited the “Who gives a crap?” website to find that they have also run out of toilet paper and I added my email address to their site to be advised when they are back in stock.

            The mind of self-cherishing blinds us to reality because it is so strong and all-pervasive that it becomes our truth. When our sole focus is me and mine, the facts become irrelevant. That painful grasping mind wins.

            In this instance it is just about wiping our bums but actually self-cherishing is always working to keep us from true happiness and inner peace. We can’t relax until we have everything we might possibly need for our own comfort and there is no end to that. I think that this mind could be behind quite a few of the problems we see in our world today so maybe the solutions are internal as much as external.

            The only place that I have heard these clear and direct teachings on the need to overcome self-cherishing and the methods to do so is Buddhism so if you want to know more, this is the place to look. But this is only my own personal experience and I’m a lazy researcher which is why I was so happy to meet someone who knew what they were talking about with regards the Coronavirus.     

            And FYI, the well-informed medical professional in the park also told me that hand sanitizer does not kill the Coronavirus because it is designed to kill bacteria not viruses. She said that the NSW Health recommendation is to wash hands thoroughly in soap and water and rinse well to prevent contamination through the mouth, eyes or nose and that hand sanitizer would require seven applications to be effective against the Coronavirus. In case you want the facts.

*We are now down to seven rolls. Eek!