Historic times

I haven’t updated this blog these last 2 weeks. I haven’t uøpdated it in years, but this time is different. I have a ton of time, and a ton of will to update this blog. But we’re living in historic times, and things keep changing every day*. Or at least from what I can tell from the newspapers, my world has shrunk to my apartment, the grocery store, and the 400 meters between them.

I do think there’s one thing that is certain though. We are living in historic times. Big epidemics and economic difficulties have led to large societal changes in the past, and this will be the case again. Impossible to say what that change will be. Perhaps a surge of support for the political right, social media currently is flooded with … questionable? … posts, often blaming foreigners or even local of foreign ancestry. Perhaps a surge of support for authoritarianism, now that incredibly disruptive measures, enforced by police, are normalized. Perhaps a surge of support for the political left, as it’s obvious marginalized people will disproportionally be affected by the disease and its immense economic repercussions. Definitely an elimination of the fatalistic argument for apathy in the face of climate change, now that it has proven that drastic changes in our society can and will create immediate benefits, with a real measurable increase in air and water quality being observed right now. Undoubtedly a better understanding of how extended solitary confinement is a form of torture.

Lots to think and write about, and as a silver lining, tons of time to do it in :)

• Dear future reader, to whom it’s might not be obvious to what I’m referring to: the entire world is currently in the grips of the (hopefully only) Covid-19 pandemic, aka Corona. If you’re Belgian, I can’t explain the true weirdness of current life more succinctly than telling you all the bars and restaurants are closed for the next couple of weeks, and the border with the Netherlands is mostly closed, with police checkpoints.