Leave a door open
Now more than ever I’m practising the ability to “love by dodging nettles”, as the lyrics to a particular song by Oques Grasses go. I see a lot of people doing the same thing. My mother-in-law is fragile, but sits there sewing masks all afternoon; my mother, now over 90 years of age and with very poor vision, makes excursions to the sea in her mind, curled up in her armchair; my husband provides basic food to his confined customers, even though he is in danger of becoming a high-risk patient (he has finally listened to me and is doing a bio cure for his cold). My son and nieces are adhering scrupulously to the confinement; two of them are also offering online gym and dance classes. Every evening, the residents in my street go out onto their balconies to applaud the health professionals.
I feel immensely grateful for the generosity and courage shown by the people I know. That is why we will get through this. I don’t know when or how; and we will come back more impoverished, but stronger.
I am sure that the solutions will not come from the political and economic measures that are being taken, but rather we will have to go back to the polls. It annoys me to see some politicians and people on social media constantly prejudging any action taken – whether by the Catalan or State government – and who criticise everything in a partisan way. It is shameful to see that some people hide behind such predatory attitudes and that the leaders of political parties are not able to demand that the bailed out banks return what they owe or apply measures to save the self-employed from falling into the abyss – charging the March social security quota was obscene – and the situation facing small businesses, which will not receive any tax cuts (a paradoxical situation, given that they are the ones who create the most jobs in this country). Many politicians – both right and left – seem to be unaware that supporting those who create wealth is also a way of helping the more disadvantaged, because the basic income can only be paid if the basic economic fabric does not fall apart.
This crisis may prove crucial in introducing a change of habits; more ecological and sustainable habits (consuming locally-sourced food, breathing life into essential sectors, such as agriculture, demanding that budgets for health, education and culture be prioritised...).
I’m dealing with confinement well enough. I learned my lesson after a stress crisis that led me to discover the benefits of meditation. I’m a bad-tempered creature, with a mindset that gets carried away. Since I’d be climbing the walls right now, I strive to maintain a good mood; I do yoga and mindfulness, I try to keep my feet on the ground and I hardly listen to the flood of bad news, just enough to stay informed. I want to keep thinking of creative ideas and maintain the warmth of personal relationships.
The writer Hermann Hesse said in his “Hymn to old age”: “And if some day the earth should come to be completely covered with concrete boxes, the frolicking clouds will still be there, and here and there, there will be people who, with the help of art, will leave a door open to divinity. A door open to life.” I see that door.
