Thoughts in Strange Times

I am truly amazed by what is happening around me, from political reactions and decisions to how people react towards them.  I disapprove a lot of them and no matter where I look I don’t find much of common views. Unless, I look at the conspiracy believers; I don’t really agree with their reasons but oddly, I find their perspective calming :)  (they are among few ones that are more critical to “THE” solution).  

I am most triggered by the condescendence, privileged arrogance, lack of critical thinking, aggressivity, support for dictatorship, lack of sensitivity towards other realities and contexts, fear, paranoia, etc. of so many people around (offline or online).

The world reduced suddenly to one virus and a pandemic.

It actually did- nothing else seems to matter or is discussed anymore. The world became in large extension a voluntary prison and there is little opposition to it (from the “prisoners” themselves). NO, I don’t imply that the suffering of people being affected by the virus is not important but I do imply that there are so many other issues and sufferings which are not being discussed, addressed or they are plainly and intentionally ignored.

We are following every day numbers, in our countries and worldwide- we care about them, we get concerned and worried and we reflect a lot on them. But we don’t follow other numbers at all, nothing else seems to matter anymore or to simply exist for many of us – and by doing this we don’t really reflect on the bigger picture and how so many other numbers might matter more (if not now, maybe later).  (Of course every number matters, especially when this number reflects people’s lives and sufferings – and every person’s pain matters the most to that person – but, if this would have been the reference point for the decisions taken in these times, they would have been different, isn’t it?)

We think short term, because we have uncertainty of long term; not only short term – we also think in selfish terms.

There is virus with no vaccine and treatment. Solution – let’s put the world on hold until we figure out what can we do about it!

 

Really? Who can do that and who benefits from that? Well, the privileged ones! Who decided that- also the privileged ones! Who can stop indefinitely (or at least for couple of months) and still be able to hold a dignified life? Privileged people and privileged regions/countries!

The same people become the biggest soldiers of “hold the planet” measures: from extreme mania and rage towards whomever is disobeying, to a complete lack of critical perspective on such measures. 

This solution, according to me, was based on fear and panic at high level – and was very fast adopted and accepted as “THE” solution by most of the states in the world. Once on this high road seems to me, that we left behind the critical perspective (or thinking in general) and exploration of other possible solutions.

It is this or nothing! 

Even if at the moment, appears to be based only on projection and estimations (which often differ and are not the most objective) and not anymore on present reality!

The IF mentality is ruling us: if we don’t do this, it will be like this; if we do this it will be like this- which basically makes us run in circles!

But how can be “this or nothing”? The world can actually stop for few months – like it just took a long sleep and then we wake up and we go on as usually? Some of us can do that, but are we the majority in the world? Or, in our own countries? I don’t think so.

What about the others? What about numbers of people living in poverty (also extreme poverty) or just with subsistence lives? What about people without houses? What about people from poor countries that cannot support their citizens? What about people with “non-essential” life styles? What about people with medical conditions that are not “urgent”? What about people living with their abusers right now? What about…and …and…

What about them? Are they going to “wake up” from this couple of shut down months and go on with their lives? Are they going to still be there? Alive?

Is there anybody counting that? If now it is so much about projections and estimations can somebody please estimate how many people will be severely affected by this lock down?

Is there anybody drawing lines and estimating how many people might die from this virus

-         In a lock down context?

-         In a not lock-down context?

AND compare them to how many people might starve, loose their homes, live on streets, be abused, malnourished, die, etc.

-         In a lock down context?

-         In a not lock-down context?

It is just me that thinks we might lose more people in our societies with a lock-down approach? It is just me that thinks about other numbers and people that might not be able to do that? 

It is just me that is amazed on how one panic solution become the unchallenged norm at this level?