May is beef month. It is also the beginning of the true storm season for a huge chunk of the heartland of America. If you are paying attention to the environment around you, many are saying, “A storm is coming.”
Typically a horse gives you a warning before the buck; it is up to you to heed the warning and make an adjustment but if you choose not to then it might end up pretty ugly. In many respects, I believe the storm or the buck is coming and it reminds me of a storm I lived through one evening in Memphis, Tennessee.
For several years I attended the Memphis in May BBQ contest, fortunately as a tasting judge and never as a competitor. I have tons of fond memories of this event and was able to rub shoulders with folks who take great pride in properly preparing the meat items that we proudly raise on United States farms and ranches. It begs the question, “Why haven’t I spent more time with this segment of the food chain?” Honestly, no matter what product we produce, the “chef” is the last line of defense in ensuring that the consumer has a tremendous eating experience.
One evening—as more than 1,000 people were mingling and enjoying barbecue—attendees were notified of a mandatory evacuation because a tornado had been spotted in the area. What I witnessed in human behavior in the next 30 minutes was mind boggling. The park is right on the banks of the Mississippi River in downtown Memphis, just a short four-block walk down a hill from some empty warehouses where the “herd” was escorted.
The minute the announcement came about the tornado, panic struck. This herd of humans did not just walk calmly toward the “safe zone.” Rather, it was total pandemonium and folks were being trampled. I got out of the way to observe this moment as folks clearly thought only of themselves and how they could get to safety. I witnessed people of all ages falling and nobody stopped to help them. Instead it was more like a calf that gets in the wrong spot while working cattle and just gets trampled until the herd finally stops moving.
It has been over 15 years ago but I remember that panic like it was yesterday. People were actually too scared to stop and think. I witnessed less than a handful of people that seemed to be taking it in as I did, staying out of the herd and trying to critically assess what the right approach should be. Ultimately, I did not go with the herd because I saw a structure that appeared to me to be a better, safer choice.
Of the 1,000 people, I would guess that less than a dozen actually looked at the situation and tried to do what was best in the given conditions. My quick summary was that people would do more harm to other people than the storm would ever do. Sadly that is exactly what happened and people were badly injured. None of the injuries was a direct result of the storm but rather human reaction to the notification of the potential storm.
Fast forward to the COVID-19 era 2020 and beyond, tell me how this situation is any different. Let me just ask you this: What has been the biggest challenge for human health in the past 14 months? The data clearly shows that it has been the people telling you how to handle the situation and not the virus itself. I do have friends that lost their life during this COVID-19 storm and that was because “experts” told them to seek the incorrect structure for safety instead of using what we know has been proven to work.
At the end of the day, God gave man a brain that functions far superior to that of any other living creature on earth. However, the great deficiency that we see unfolding in front of us is that many smart human beings are choosing not to use their own brains and trust their own instincts. Relying on others for your safety and well being may ultimately get you trampled.
Editor’s note: Trent Loos is a sixth generation United States farmer, host of the daily radio show, Loos Tales, and founder of Faces of Agriculture, a non-profit organization putting the human element back into the production of food. Get more information at www.LoosTales.com, or email Trent at [email protected].