Not so long ago my mood was in the basement. Blick-Push message: “New Omikron corona variant paralyzes the world – case numbers are also skyrocketing in Switzerland.” That was in December 2021 — exactly one year ago.
Gone was the hope for a contemplative Christmas with grandparents. The pursuit of this oft-quoted “normality” has reached a new personal peak. The masks remain. It was (rightly) necessary to exercise caution. Again!
Almost imperceptibly – and in the shadow of the Russian invasion of Ukraine – this spring and summer, we regained “normal” life in Switzerland. And just as imperceptibly for me – and emotionally for the public – “normal” life remained true to us in the autumn and still in the winter.
My family is going to celebrate the first carefree Christmas with my grandparents in a long time. Coronavirus and vaccination will no longer be a problem. In politics and on the street, people are friendlier, even more Swiss, to each other. Absurd accusations of dictatorship? Not a problem for a long time.
How I longed for this a year ago – and how ungratefully I accept it now. Yes, in this fast-paced and sometimes dark world (the war in Ukraine), I have already forgotten what a privilege a normal Adventist season is.
This week suddenly a sudden memory. “Anti-lockdown protests in China are intensifying,” my smartphone says. In China, the state continues its zero Covid strategy: millions of people are locked in their own four walls. Robot dogs patrol the streets, drones explain the rules to frightened residents.
The worst science fiction ideas come to life in China. Anyone who resists this is arrested and, in some cases, beaten almost to death. The fact that the Chinese economy is just a shadow of the past is almost irrelevant.
We cannot influence the tragic conditions in China. But we can more consciously enjoy this special – because this is the usual – Advent time in Switzerland. Let’s be grateful that we can once again hug our grandparents, grandchildren and sick fathers and mothers. Because we know it’s not a given, it’s a blessing.