Slowly I am starting to get angry. The question is just at what or whom? Anger itself does not really solve anything and being highly aware of this, I am sure there must be a better way to deal with the situation. But what situation is that precisely?
The new lockdown that is imposed on Germany come Monday is supposed to make sense. The numbers need to go down and less human interaction means an easier way to follow the virus’ trail. It get that. But what I do not get is that no one in government seems to think about the personal repercussions. About the costs to people and their livelihood. About artists and those in the entertainment industry, about every small shop owner who depends on people coming into their shops. But most importantly, about the minds of people.
The pandemic feels like a huge human experiment in which we all are tested on our coping mechanisms under stress. However, most experiments are limited in scope and time. And most important of all, those participating are doing so on a voluntary basis. I am well aware that a pandemic is different to a real experiment, but what the government is doing right now certainly feels like one. Do not get me wrong, I do believe that the virus is dangerous and I am a big fan of physical distancing and wearing face masks. It is in general nice not to be sneezed at and I like choosing who gets close to me. However, I feel that rules for the sake of rules just simply mess with peoples minds. Human beings are social animals, we need other people to simply exist. We need human company to function properly. We can forgo all this for a while. But the time period has to be short and well reasoned. The first lockdown already stretched most of us to the limits, especially since it was simply prolonged and prolonged. Can we believe that the restrictions are only there for four weeks? Do we have to assume that it will be prolonged? And when are we allowed to put our mental health first?
The medical philosopher 