It's April 2nd. We are somewhere in the Corona pandemic. How do you experience the situation at the moment?
At this very moment? Well, in this very moment, I don't feel any difference to normal becauseI'm outside of the river Rhine and the sun is shining. I'm just sitting here with a friend and drinking a beer and having a chat. So right in this moment, it feels quite normal and I'm having a good time.
When you look at the Corona pandemic and how you experience it, not just now, but also in the last weeks, is there anything you learn in this special situation about yourself or your society?
Well, one learning is that I don't feel that much of a difference in this situation.
Because I live in Mannheim, but I'm from Munich and I have all my family and more friends in Munich. And before Corona, I had three people here in Mannheim that I more or less regularity meet. And right now it's the same situation: I still see those three people. And it's not such a big difference because I'm not that limited with my social contacts. I feel a limitation in that I can't go to play basketball anymore or that I can't go swimming or in a restaurant or the theatre. So I learned that there's not such a big difference. That's one thing.
But today I learned something that was a bit surprising for me: not everybody is that relaxed or laid back with the situation. I heard from a therapist that for his clients the top topic number one is the Corona crisis. That a lot of people have fears. They are confronted with something new. There are limitations. And the people kind of suffer. So I learned that a lot of people are struggling or have difficulties to adapt to this situation and to deal with the limitation of not seeing your family on Easter. This was somehow surprising because I didn't know. I just was in my circle and in my circle everybody's very reflective and seems to deal well with with the situation.
Thank you. So now I want to invite you to look ahead. Maybe to a point in time where we somehow manage to live with that virus. What do you want more of or less of in your life or when you think of society?
First thing, what comes to my mind is about to myself, not about the society. I started writing recently and I have a lot of joy with it, and I would be happy if that would be something that I could keep up in the future. A new practice through which I'm able to express myself in written words.
But that´s me... for society? It's a good question. I haven't thought about it. I didn't go yet to this place to look at the society. I think there is an answer, but I don't know yet.
The next question: If you think that suddenly things turn out to be somewhat or somehow better, what is your wildest dream for the future? What is a dream you don't even dare to dream?
Maybe a dream is that we have a certain change of values. Because right now the value "money" is very strong. And I wouldn't mind, I would actually be happy, to have a shift from money as something important, more to, for example, health. Not only because of the virus, but also health in terms of psychological health. That more people are able to reflect on their behaviour and also on the impact on society and the environment. So I see this crisis, as you said, as a chance or as a creative process. And if people are a bit more able to reflect on their behavior and on their values, that would be cool. And think more in a direction of things you can't buy.
Thank you.
Welcome.
