Page 15 - Fear Unmasked Flipbook

I NTR O D UCTI O N

you will start crossing things off of your to-do
list that you’ve been putting off because you
previously “didn’t have the time.”

Recently, I interviewed Patrick J. McGinnis, who
is a successful venture capitalist and the creator of
the word FOMO, which stands for “Fear of Missing
Out.” Long before this coronavirus panic, the “Fear

of Missing Out” became a HUGE problem for people
in this world. It is a big part of the reason why we
are addicted to our smartphones; we don’t want to
miss anything. Psychology Today now reports that
the average person is interrupted over 100 times per
day with smartphone notifications. That’s a lot of
4
interruptions. So, while I do understand that just the

act of turning off your smartphone long enough to
invest the two hours needed to learn everything you
need to know about COVID-19 could cause you to
experience fear, I think it will cause less fear in the
long run as we dismantle the panic surrounding the
coronavirus.
You might be thinking: But what if I miss “the big
call?” What if I miss the “big news update?” What
if the supplier of the custom Darth Vader mask I

ordered to protect myself from the coronavirus calls
me to confirm my hat size? My friend, to make this
deal fair, I promise you that I am going to write you

15