Who should protect us

The biggest challenge of the year has been to understand why a pandemic is global, despite the fact that its etymology indicates precisely that: "disease of the entire town."

It affects all people, everywhere, and it spreads through all of us.

That is precisely why it unites us: we all potentially face infection, fear, uncertainty or recovery.

It is common.

Of course, we don't always act accordingly.

The omicron is the proof that, if the vaccine is not for the whole planet, the variants will not stop reaching our privileged continent.

Personally, we have developed a rare sense of belonging. In fact, the rigid forms of individuality of certain anarcoliberals no longer hold, even though deniers continue to exist. The isolation in small bubbles and the continuous limits to enjoy and appear in public space also destroy private life, and the feeling is similar to what Hannah Arendt said about loneliness, about how it ends up generating the extreme and radical experience of “no to belong to the world at all ”. The funny thing is that, while we are asked to isolate ourselves, we develop more and more collective attitudes towards adversity, social relationships, uncertainty, our own vulnerability or our moods. Sleep disorders,the anxiety or other disturbing effects of confinement have not only brought the problem of mental health to the fore, but the idea that our society is tired and, why not say it, somewhat depressed. An older neighbor in my building told me the other day at the door of my house: "It's already two Christmases, daughter." And it is that we have all developed a way of thinking that has to do with that common world. My neighbor knows perfectly well that I understand what he is saying, because the same thing happens to me (it's already two bloody Christmases), but curiously, this "common sense" still does not translate into politics, at least in Spain.And it is that we have all developed a way of thinking that has to do with that common world. My neighbor knows perfectly well that I understand what he is saying, because the same thing happens to me (it's already two bloody Christmases), but curiously, this "common sense" still does not translate into politics, at least in Spain.And it is that we have all developed a way of thinking that has to do with that common world. My neighbor knows perfectly well that I understand what he is saying, because the same thing happens to me (it's already two bloody Christmases), but curiously, this "common sense" still does not translate into politics, at least in Spain.

It is striking that the Government has so many difficulties and laziness to articulate a State policy on the pandemic. On the contrary, a Conference of Presidents is convened, which sends a clear message of impotence, while the measures are approved by no less than a royal decree, to show decision. What an extraordinary paradox! The first (and disastrous) ruling of the Constitutional Court on the state of alarm of March 2020 ruled on the controversy between limitation or suspension of fundamental rights, but there are a range of possibilities up to there that the Government could still use without contradicting the Constitutional instructions. At the end of the day, the Constitution must be the instrument and not the obstacle to design a State policy for something as extraordinary as a pandemic. And so seriousClear. But lost in thought, politics recedes again. And it is scary to see that the loneliness of isolation affects so much those who must protect us.

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