COVID-19 seems to have sparked panic in the United States, or at least California. I say “seems” because I am far away, in a much calmer place: Laos. One of a few dozen landlocked nations, Lao People’s Democratic Republic is always included on the UN’s list of Least Developed Countries. Yet people here are both very aware and very calm about the conronavirus pandemic. Employees of stores and restaurants are regularly seen disinfecting commonly touched surfaces. Hand sanitizer is available for use at almost every public venue. Security guards check people’s temperature at high-traffic chokepoints, such as the entrances to big malls. How can a country blanketed with 600,000 tons of unexploded ordinance, a political backwater, be so far ahead of the United States?

From a perspective far removed, a couple variables stick out. America is dealing with 2 factors that Laos is not: an unhealthy relationship with the media, and an unpredictable president. Laotians might consume the news, but they certainly aren’t addicted to a 24-hour news cycle. In part due to poverty, Laotians aren’t particularly on their phones that often. They also don’t have an antagonistic leader. Regardless of whether you agree with Trump’s politics or not, insulting public figures and attacking other institutions with hostility (The Federal Reserve, the legislature, other nations) does not promote stability and calm.

Panic is a chain reaction. It occurs when scared people infect others with fear. As more and more people succumb to the fear, collective chaos spirals out of control. The result? People buy massive amounts of toilet paper (what?). People wear masks in parks and coffee shops. People lose faith in completely unrelated industries in the stock market.

More than anything, COVID-19 is testing our resilience to uncertainty. So far we are failing as a global society. So here’s what each person can do:

Stop the spread—of fear and panic. Steady yourself and anyone else who needs it.

Learn and stay updated by consistently checking the websites of the CDC and WHO.

Reduce the risk of infection and community spread by practicing good hygiene.

Think critically about what kind of person you want to be and about how you want to be remembered when facing adversity. Be that person.

We can weather this storm and come out stronger. We can reform and strengthen the capability of our healthcare system, we can be more critical of what we read and hear and watch, and we can grow our global grit to overcome future adversity. COVID-19 is forcing us to sink or swim. Let’s do better. Let’s change the world.