It probably sounds completely absurd at first. Even at the peak of the 2020 and 2021 pandemic, we weren’t in the best of moods! That’s true, of course, in large part. Especially those who have health problems or who are concerned about loved ones with previous illnesses were afraid for many months. Or who fought for the survival of his small business.
But let’s assume reasonably healthy, reasonably young people in reasonably secure employment (or degree courses, etc.). They held on bravely, but as soon as summer brought lower numbers and more pleasant outside temperatures, the zest for life flared up like a puddle of gasoline meeting a burning match.
People met in parks, for walks, outside in cafés, and even happily ventured back to open-air concerts. For one autumn, “mulled wine kiosks” suddenly popped up in the cities to the delight of passers-by.
Every little bit of breaking out of the pandemic monotony was celebrated, every careful being together, you could feel: even sitting at home for months could not completely take away our confidence and fun in life.
In addition, some developments certainly made people want to have a future – hopefully one day without corona: the obligation to work from home showed in many companies that it is not a problem at all if employees work from home or from elsewhere. (Sure, that doesn’t work for many professions. But it does for many!)
Suddenly new childcare options opened up for parents, many people were able to get pets that they could not have had with an eight-hour day away from home. Some thought about moving out of the city with its high rents into the country, renovating an old house, buying a cabin in the woods. As long as the internet existed, life would suddenly be possible everywhere.
But little by little all the hopes, ideas and innovations are shattered. Also because more and more employers want to see their employees back in the office by hook or by crook. Gritting their teeth, one, two or three home office days are granted, but of course they are not enough for the house in the country, the child or the dog.
Instead of a new, better world, we are looking at one that wants to be the old one again by force – only that suddenly a war in Europe and an energy and economic crisis make everything much heavier and darker and tougher.
We are tired and resigned. We are scared. We don’t know what’s coming. The confidence that we have maintained over the past two years has evaporated within a few weeks.
And who can blame you? In the supermarket, basic groceries suddenly cost twice as much. We hardly dare turn on the heating. At the end of the month the account is more than empty. And the news is discussing the possibility of nuclear war.
Despite the increasing corona numbers, we drive to the office in the overcrowded bus. threat of rent increases. The climate threatens to tip over. Doctors and nurses are completely overwhelmed and are on strike. The bad news just won’t hear and stop. How are you supposed to believe in a good, bright future?
We’re stuck in an emotional swamp for many perfectly rational reasons. And unfortunately I don’t know a solution for this. As long as Vladimir Putin does not finally give up his crazy plans, the global economy calms down and a corona vaccine is developed that protects 100% against all existing virus variants, it will probably not be easy.
And yes, that might take a while. Even then, things aren’t just “okay again.” That’s when we have to shake up the system to make sure we end this decade better than we started it.
People are good at persevering no matter how difficult times are (and yes, of course many people in the world are far worse off than we are, and people have been far worse off than us in the past. But this knowledge is of no practical use to anyone some). They just need something to hope or wait for. And we just lost that, didn’t we? The hope that it will get better, that it will get easier. That someday we can be carefree again.
It hasn’t been that difficult to predict or even plan for the coming months for a long time. So all we can do is do what most of us have been doing for weeks anyway: take a deep breath, keep the news consumption in check, keep the money together and – wait and see.
Wait and see through another frustrating winter, and maybe find some hope in that very unpredictability: if anything can happen, then something good can happen. Let’s try holding on again. Let’s look forward to spring with a touch of optimism: maybe the crisis will be over at some point. And maybe then everything won’t be the same as before, but – better.
