{"id":7701,"date":"2020-12-31T11:04:25","date_gmt":"2020-12-31T10:04:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.harald-bluechel.com\/gedanken-zum-jahreswechsel-2020-2021\/"},"modified":"2025-10-04T08:19:39","modified_gmt":"2025-10-04T06:19:39","slug":"gedanken-zum-jahreswechsel-2020-2021-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.harald-bluechel.com\/en\/gedanken-zum-jahreswechsel-2020-2021-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Thoughts on the turn of the year 2020 – 2021"},"content":{"rendered":"

Around this time last year, I spent a few hours at my desk every day, getting all the projects planned for 2020 into the home stretch. I was in the present moment of doing, which, however, was always mentally directed towards the future: getting the CD and the book ready for printing, preparing the vernissage and the concert tour … this was my \u201cnormality\u201d, my horizon of expectations, into which I was more excited looking forward to anticipation.<\/p>\n

At the beginning of March at the latest, this horizon – now within reach – was suddenly gone … as with all of you. I sat down briefly and thought about it. The attitude, which has become a fundamental principle of life for me, \u201cWe cannot choose what happens to us, but we can choose how to deal with it<\/em>\u201d didn’t make me grumble for long: why not do things now that I have always wanted to do for but there was no time because other things always had a higher priority?<\/p>\n

I took a large piece of paper and wrote down what I could think of on the subject and focused on some of these things. I was able to stay active throughout the year, if only because \u2013as someone living on the countryside –\u00a0 I was able to move around freely – a huge privilege for which I am very grateful.<\/p>\n

As for my concerts, I am – like everyone else – in a strange queue. Given what 90 percent of the world’s population has to go through, it seems to me to be an absolute luxury problem.<\/p>\n

—————<\/p>\n

The entire range of problems in our current way of life is reflected in the corona pandemic. “Corona” works like a magnifying glass under which we can view the existing problems. Corona seems to me a medium, partial aspect and further symptom that shows structural problems of our world order and our lifestyle: A crisis in a crisis.<\/p>\n

Comprehensible and yet unsatisfactory: In my perception, however, “Corona” is primarily addressed in the public discussion as a kind of terrible state of emergency, which we use technology (“vaccine”), technocratic state means (“lock down”, “Billion$aid-programs\u201d) and \u201c individual responsibility\u201d as quickly as possible in order to then be able to return to the \u201cnormal state<\/em>\u201d that is longed for. Of course, present-day coping management from the realpolitical toolbox is important and correct, but can that be all?<\/p>\n

Isn’t it the case that our lifestyle has only been sustained for at least thirty years with considerable cognitive dissonance or a radical disregard of the overall context? What is actually really “normal<\/em>” about it, given the existing global conditions (ecological, economic, social and geopolitical)?<\/p>\n

I miss the honest attempt to build a large social discussion about what another future might look like. I would like to see this task as a highly committed EXISTENTIAL challenge, as a PROJECT – not just as a marginal, decorative and aesthetic supplement on the feature sections of the leading media.<\/p>\n

After all, the neoliberal bullshit about the \u201cmarket that will fix everything\u201d seems to be off the table for good. State interventions, on a scale that previously seemed impossible, are suddenly possible, but unfortunately its goals are only stuck to me in the \u201cnext way<\/em>\u201d.<\/p>\n

When, if not now?<\/p>\n

The future is not always the continuation of the recent past. <\/em><\/p>\n

With all my heart I wish you the very best for the new year<\/p>\n

Yours<\/p>\n

Harald<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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