Aristo! Aristo! A la lanterne!: Self fulfilling prophesy....?

Tuesday, April 14, 2020

Self fulfilling prophesy....?

We just returned from our weekly BJ's run, something we have done for almost a year. It takes care of the bulk of our grocery and sundry needs.

Today I actively looked up their slacker times, and that's when we got there. We did what we had to do, got the hell out, and came home to pack away and wash up.

To say I'm spooked is an understatement. It's one thing to be a stolid pessimist. It's another thing to see that crap coming true.

I'm aware of the self fulfilling prophesy protocol.

We head to the store, wondering if anything has changed.
We get to the store with our usual list, but damn, they have empty spots on shelves, and things are looking kinda thin.
So, we pick up three packs of that canned chicken breast which makes superb chicken salad, instead of our usual one pack every few weeks. Hey, why not stock up a bit?
Everyone does the last three things.... everyone.
The next run of folks see a LOT of empty shelves, and they grab a LOT of stuff..... just in case.... leaving more empty shelves.
Suddenly the place is looking very empty indeed, and folks are getting stupid.... er.
Rinse and repeat.

The cashier said they are getting a truckload daily, but people are buying it faster than they can stock shelves.

What did we see? Deli.... empty and closed. Fresh meat cases.... about 80% empty. Produce.... forgetaboutit. Packaged meats.... very, very thin. Pasta, rice, packaged foods..... maybe 40% of what we usually expect to see. Canned goods.... about 30% of normal. Paper goods.... not too bad.

Now, is it self fulfilling prophesy.... or disrupted supply chain?
We, the little peoples, are not really privy to the details in any organized fashion. But, data points come up.

Smithfield Meats is having a bad month.
Dairy farms dumping product.
Farmers plowing under crops.
Supply chain disruptions seem rampant.

Yeah, so color me spooked. Tomorrow, I'm fixing the chicken pen. Time for those hens to stay closer to home.

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Robert Heinlein

"Do not confuse "duty" with what other people expect of you; they are utterly different. Duty is a debt you owe to yourself to fulfill obligations you have assumed voluntarily. Paying that debt can entail anything from years of patient work to instant willingness to die. Difficult it may be, but the reward is self-respect.

But there is no reward at all for doing what other people expect of you, and to do so is not merely difficult, but impossible. It is easier to deal with a footpad than it is with the leech who wants "just a few minutes of your time, please — this won't take long." Time is your total capital, and the minutes of your life are painfully few. If you allow yourself to fall into the vice of agreeing to such requests, they quickly snowball to the point where these parasites will use up 100 percent of your time — and squawk for more!
So learn to say No — and to be rude about it when necessary.
Otherwise you will not have time to carry out your duty, or to do your own work, and certainly no time for love and happiness. The termites will nibble away your life and leave none of it for you.

(This rule does not mean that you must not do a favor for a friend, or even a stranger. But let the choice be yours. Don't do it because it is "expected" of you.)"