If you were in despair during the corona lockdown, the French philosopher Blaise Pascal (1623–1662) was able to encourage you to persevere. He found that people’s misfortune stems solely from the fact that “they are unable to stay quietly in one room”.
When the end of isolation was finally in sight, one could look back and look forward strengthened, for example with the help of the English playwright Harold Pinter (1930–2008): “You cannot go out until you have managed to live in a room and fight. “
The self-reflection in the room as preparation for the unconsciousness of the world? If the idea helps, why not.
The gray of pure reason
Of course, you could approach the world more relaxed than in riot gear. For example, flattering or flattering, evasion can also be a good way, muddling through, flirting, turtling, smiling, laughing.
The Covid certificate is currently a promising behavior loosener. The Covid-19 law creates the basis for this.
From Pascal to Pinter to the Covid-19 law? From philosophically exaggerated couch potatoes to compensatory motivated zeal for action to pure reason? At least that’s how SP posters advertise the vote on November 28, 2021: “Yes! out of reason », the letters are set gray on gray. Like we’re on our way to a funeral.
There is joyful hope too
We’d rather cheat death. The certificate can prevent the social, physical, economic, cultural Covid death of many and much. That may be a reasonable hope. But it is also a joyous hope. Because the certificate creates space for extraverted, curious, happy to meet, consumeristic, excessive, open, strange, real life.
“Staying in the room to avoid misfortune” or “Staying in the room to learn to fight” or “Yes to the certificate – out of reason” or “Yes to the certificate – out of the joy of life” – it is like all sayings or Slogans: One likes this one, the other that one. Sometimes they fit better, sometimes less. But basically they are poor. They cannot cope with the confusion and longings of real life. Everything will be fine.
Ursula von Arx defends the freedoms that the certificate gives us back. Even if it is more of a couch potato today; those of the unphilosophical kind, by the way. Von Arx writes in Blick every other Monday.