Life’s more than Corona!

Dietrich Grönemeyer

by Dietrich Grönemeyer

Story

Will we manage to hold out much longer? Laughter, being happy, being together – all that is getting lost. Everything, but everything now revolves solely around COVID-19, be it in the media, in politics, in business, and last but not least at home. On the one hand, that is understandable. Every single person worldwide is exposed to the threat of being ambushed by this infection. And no one can say if they will survive. That is all correct! But life is more, including during pandemics. The more preoccupation with the one theme squeezes out all other themes in our lives, the more our vision narrows. Growing fear overcomes hope. Bad news: morning, noon and night. Not one of us, let alone society as a whole, can endure that forever. It robs us of all the power we need to master the danger.

We will not succeed in conquering Corona with the fixation on bans and existential restrictions. However necessary masking up, quarantining, contact restrictions, and the closure of almost all institutions are, they also serve to blur our view of the diversity of life and of everything that could help strengthen joy and resilience in society and each and every one of us. I, you, WE want to laugh again and dance for joy, to be happy. Everybody wants that!

Indeed, the best medicine or vaccination is pointless if, in advance, the state of the person and prior illnesses have not been assessed. Or there has been no thought to how it will be delivered to the woman, child, or man. Or people are not being carefully told what side-effects there may be. These also include the psychological, social, societal and economic impacts of a lockdown that is imposed. Movement, sports, nutritious food, relaxation, and sleep are among the factors that can strengthen our own physical defense mechanisms. Other factors include special medicinal plants or quite literally energizing conversations and walks in the woods.

1. Medical information

2. Personal digital data collection

3. Specific rapid tests: best of all, daily antigen sputum tests

4. Antibody rapid tests

5. Vaccination (after due consultation)

6. Digital follow-up

7. Strengthening physical and psychological immune system

8. Follow-up on antibody levels

9. Health lessons

10. Adhering to hygiene standards

We must stop allowing the crisis to cow our thinking. The next virus is bound to come, as the history of

humankind shows. We’ve repressed the fact that nature tends to not be predictable, that risks and death are part of life. If we were to allow ourselves to think this, we could draw courage and strength from it. And above all we could laugh and love again.

© Dietrich Grönemeyer 2021-08-20

Hashtags