For each of us, the pandemic has become, to one degree or another, a crisis that must be overcome. Many people lost close relatives, faced financial difficulties, and even found themselves on the verge of ruin. Added to all this is the loss of the usual course of life and everyday communication. All these hardships are not easy for us — however, they also have a chance to reflect on what is really important for us.
When you lose everything that seemed unshakable
In an article published into Vima, psychology professor, and writer Fotini Tsalikoglu writes that the past year has been a year of trauma for all of us:
“Trauma means losing your home country, which seemed impossible to lose — and being expelled from it. Trauma is when your world turns into an unknown and dangerous place. Who among us today does not experience similar pain? We had to try to combine conflicting phenomena: safety and freedom, exaggeration, and refusal to recognize danger, proximity, and distance. … We had to plug our ears in order not to hear sirens broadcasting fake news, spreading fear, as well as dubious debates blooming in the shadow of death.”
It wasn’t better before the crisis!
The past year has brought us not only difficulties but also some positive moments, notes Der Nordschleswiger:
“We may have been able to rediscover our own country — like this summer when everyone had to stay at home. Maybe in 2020, we managed to discern who are our true friends. Perhaps family ties have become stronger. Of course, in 2020 there have been moments full of events and full of warmth. We need to recognize and realize them as such because good moments do not rain on us from the sky. It is possible that we will even learn some lessons from the past ten months — and preserve these new traditions and habits for the future. Yes, before the crown, much was better — but not everything. Of course, everyone must decide this question for himself, but one thing is clear for sure: for all of us, time was divided into an era before — and after the crown. Let’s use it to our advantage.”
