I noticed that this pandemic caused a return to symbols that are typical of deep social crisis like national flags hanging on windows or the use of wartime vocabulary. We will resist, we will succeed, Italy is a great Country, we will emerge stronger than before, we have to fight the virus.
I totally understand that, when facing a deadly virus, everyone does their best to cope with it, but I am concerned that the words used in this case and, consequently, the general attitude is one of active resistance. This means that, from the last war until today, nothing has changed in our way of feeling and facing reality.
When you focus on resisting a situation your attitude creates tension, you freeze up with your fists clenched, waiting for this bad moment to pass and continue with your life as if nothing ever happened. This attitude cannot lead to any type of social, emotional or mental evolution and, definitely, it will not help us to take advantage of this situation to grow.
Resilience, however, is a completely different matter. Having a resilient attitude means to observe what happens around us, to understand the causes of this situation and to become aware of what habits of mine helped to create or worsen this crisis. It means assessing our past choices and realising whether we are satisfied with where they have taken us.
Resilience is a smooth and constant movement, it’s allowing ourselves to improve our life, but at the same time it is acceptance for what we are. Resistance is rigidity, blockage, tension, it is like stating I break but don’t bend. All words emit a certain level of energy and are an expression of a particular way of thinking. It is our responsibility to be aware and responsible for what we think as well as choose our words carefully.
Cover picture by Martina García Andreoli