"It can hurt others. At the beginning of the pandemic there was a lot of panic buying." On the other hand, having a stock on hand already can be helpful. It me

"It can hurt others. At the beginning of the pandemic there was a lot of panic buying." On the other hand, having a stock on hand already can be helpful. It means you won't need to join the panic buying, because you're already stocked, and you stocked at a time when the system could easily handle it. It is a good thing for everyone to have some supplies on hand. It makes all of society more resilient against all sorts of disasters. It means that if your area finds itself in need of emergency services, those emergency services may not have to go to you, leaving them for someone else who may be in more trouble (e.g., someone who was at the epicenter of whatever and legitimately had their supplies totally destroyed). It is the socially responsible thing to do to have some vital supplies on hand and be able to survive independently for a few days on as few services as possible in your area.