We need a radically new way of living together, says Education Pope Remo Largo.
BRIGITTE: When the Corona crisis hit the world, you had just finished your book – and added to it. Has the pandemic changed the way you look?
Remo Largo: No. However, it makes the great social, economic and ecological problems visible to everyone. If we draw the right conclusions, it can be helpful. Because the challenges of the future will be far greater than the current crisis.
Sounds dark.
We are on the brink of an ecological catastrophe, and a lot was suppressed before Corona, for example how precariously some people work, be it in care or in the meat industry. As if under a magnifying glass, we are currently experiencing how much we depend on closeness and security, affection and social recognition – and how great the lack of it is now, especially for the elderly and children.
But many children grow up more secure than before!
Parents today are by and large loving, and it is very fortunate that corporal punishment is forbidden. We have changed the world we live in to our advantage. But even more to the disadvantage, unfortunately so much that the planet is about to collapse and we humans are suffering.
What do children need to grow up well and healthy?
They feel physically and psychologically well when their basic needs are met, i.e. when they experience security, physical integrity and existential security. Social acceptance, self-development and the chance to perform well are also elementary; not standardized, but according to individual skills. The decisive factor is now – and the crux for our current way of life – that these basic needs apply equally to children and adults, but can hardly be satisfied in an anonymous mass society. But very well in a community with familiar people.
Why?
Let's stay with the children: the small family is not enough for them. They need more than one or two adult reference people as role models and companions who have different abilities and skills than their parents. And children need other children of different ages, several hours a day. Relationships among adults often fail because one person should be everything. In short: In partnerships, the individual tries very hard, and yet what the other party gets is often not enough. There is no additional compensation through trusted caregivers of a community.
What has to happen for your utopia to become a reality?
We need a new grassroots movement. We have initiated a generation project in my village. People of all ages meet, children are looked after flexibly. Co-operative communities could easily become a reality if private property was abolished from land; it should become common property like air and water. Land could be leased from the state for a limited period. A reformed economic and political system must provide the framework – without any growth premise, with more direct democracy. Only in a society in which the basic needs of every individual are met will hatred, dissatisfaction, exclusion and suffering come to an end.
Conclusion:
For everyone who wants a reformed society and who, in addition to a vision, are also looking for specific tips for getting out of the carousel.
Remo H. Largo, 76, is a pediatrician and headed the growth and development department of the Children's Hospital Zurich for almost three decades. His bestseller "Baby Years" is a standard work for parents. New from him: "Living Together" (208 pp., 17 euros, Fischer).
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