Friday 31 December 2021

WENN DIE NOT AUFS HÖCHSTE STEIGT ...

 

During the past two years, I have touched upon the Plague in no less than ten blog posts. Hopefully, this time will be the last one for me to extemporise around the theme. 

Why am I into it again? Well, to judge from recent events in South Africa, and increasingly in our parts of the world, the worst mutation of the Corona virus hitherto is already upon us. It is by far the most infectious, maybe ten times as much as earlier versions of the Plague. It will blaze like prairie fire through the global population and affect virtually everyone in its path. As I am writing this, at least a million persons a week are being infected in the UK, which is a foreboding of things to come in our own countries, even in Sweden here in the North.

As far as can be glimpsed, no one is fully protected against its infection. We may now all get the disease, whether vaccinated or not, whether having been already through the disease or not. It is safest to assume that we have to go through this hand in hand. 

Whilst I am writing this, I can not keep from smiling and nurturing a rather rosy view of the year to come. Am I grasping at straws in desperation? Quite the opposite! At long last, the virus has reached a development stage that, with all probability, will lead to a timely ending of the pandemic, turning it into a relatively harmless yearly affliction, easily countered by recurring vaccination.

The reason for my prediction is of course the insight, that the new Corona variant does not affect us already vaccinated (or having gone through the disease) to a large degree. Don’t misunderstand me! People not enjoying the above protection will be as badly hit, when infected, as with the earlier variants. Therefore, the risk for them of getting severely ill or even die from the disease will drastically increase (compared to the earlier waves) in the one to two months to come. But once the wave has abated, most of our populations will have at least some kind of immunity

In that context, permit me to address those of my friends who have chosen to abstain from vaccination. I respect your decision, with the understanding that grown-ups should be free to make their own choices. However, you may wish to take a closer look at the situation and put your affairs in order whilst there is still time, including writing your last will. It is only too easy to fall into the trap of “dependence between taste and belief”, so please stay rational. By this I mean to be aware of the greatly increased risks befalling you within the next two months and act upon that awareness.

The rest of us, a great majority after all, don’t need worry too much about the great wave to roll over us within a month or two. We will most probably be infected, but almost none of us will get seriously ill. The risks involved for us may not be greater than from getting an ordinary flu.

This brings me to the title of this blog post. It refers to some wordings by a German poet that got popular through the melody added to them. The content appears particularly relevant in the present context. Why not experience it in the enclosed video, as being sung at a grand finale. The text is as follows:

Wenn die Not aufs Höchste steigt,
Gott der Herr die Hand uns reicht.

When desperation is at its utmost,
God Almighty will reach out to us.
[things will soon start out improving]. 
(alternative last line for us atheists)



With this edifying divertissement, all left for me is to wish you, Dear Readers of this blog, on this after all calm and serene last evening of the year,

A Very Happy New Beginning!


10 comments:

Lillian Howan said...

Wishing you many blessings and happiness in this New Year, Emil!

Alan McCornick said...

Wishing you too, dear Emil, a much better year to come than the last couple of difficult years have been. And keep those photos of Stockholm and elsewhere coming - and the observations in your blog, as well.

Elisa said...

Well written dear Emil!

Wish you all the best for 2022. Hope you will come to Austria this summer!

Eva said...

Dear Emil,
Thank you for your reflections upon the passed year! May your prediction about the Corona virus blazing as a prairie fire not come true! I hope we will all be blessed with a far better world during this new year! All the best to you, Emil, for a healthy and prosperous year!
Kind regards
Eva

Kerstin Hillerström said...

Thank you Emil
Same to you.
Kerstin

BeachyGal said...

Greetings from the chilly hills of Berkeley.
Snow on Mt. Diablo but so far, we here on the flats are spared.

I appreciate your very mature approach to the nimrods- for so they are- that feel that their own views of health and safety (AKA hubris) trump the welfare of the commonweal. But who are we to contest the Darwinian tendencies in man?

My calendar this year is already filling with the promise of more wondrous adventures. N'Sh'Allah!

I hope you also do not feel too constrained by this inconvenient evolution. We are SOOO blessed and fortunate.

Stay well, dear Emil. I hope to see you again sooner rather than later.

Anonymous said...

Bom dia viellieber Emil,
It is nice to hear your thoughts in well-formulated language and it is not difficult to agree with your recommendations.
Despite the fact that my wife and I live in one of the most vaccinated countries in Europe, the population is suffering in large numbers from the infection now after the Christmas weekend.
With a wish for a healthy 2022, I wish you and your loved ones all the best wherever you are at the moment.
Gruss,
Michael

Anonymous said...

Lieber Emil,

Dieser Blog ist Dir sehr gut gelungen, ich habe ihn inklusive von Hänsel und Gretel sehr genossen. Diese Oper habe ich mit meinen Kindern und auch Enkelkindern in der Volksoper mitgehört und gesehen und dabei die unterschiedliche Art der Kinder auf Musik und Handlung zu reagieren mitbekommen. Die Oper hat sehr viel Musik und vergleichsweise wenig Handlung. Die Musik, sehr von Richard Wagner beeinflusst, ist nicht jedes Kindes Leibspeise, auch die Hexe hat zumindest meiner Tochter eine lang anhaltende Angst eingejagt. Später, vor ein paar Jahren, hat sie dann im Rahmen eines Chorabends im Gebetsduett den Hänsel gesungen, jetzt sitzt sie gerade neben mir und hat sich Gruberova und Fassbänder mit diesem Duett angehört. Ich habe, wie Du siehst, deinen Blog gerade zur richtigen Zeit aufgerufen.

Was deine Beurteilung der Coronasituation und -zukunft betrifft, stimme ich mit dir weitgehend überein. Auch dein gewisses Unverständnis der Impfverweigerung teile ich voll mit Dir, vor allem bei den intelligenten und gebildeten Menschen, die sich nicht impfen lassen wollen. Aber inzwischen habe ich von der Hirnforschung gelernt, dass die Ratio der Großhirnrinde mitsamt dem bewussten Denken, andauernd von der darunterliegenden Amygdala mitgesteuert wird, die von den Außenreizen, beginnend schon im Mutterleib, geprägt wird und damit die Persönlichkeit „darstellt“. Diese gespeicherte Information in der Amygdala ist nur sehr schwer zu ändern, was wahrscheinlich notwendig ist um als Person im Leben stabil zu bleiben. Einer gewissen Gruppe von Menschen ist mit rationalen Argumenten, wie Du sie vorbringst, nicht beizukommen, weil ihre „Person“ an der Verweigerung der Impfung hängt. Das Bewusstsein versucht diese Haltung dann mit anderen „rationalen“ Überlegungen zu stabilisieren.

Herzliche Grüße und viel Glück, Gesundheit und Freude im noch ganz jungen Jahr und weit darüber hinaus

Helmut  

Anonymous said...

Hej Emil!
 
Tack för nyårsblogg.
 
Så lustigt sammanträffande. Jag var på orgelkonsert på nyårsafton. Där spelade de Ängelscen ur Hans och Greta av Engelbert Humperdink.

I hopp om ett gott 2022
Åsa

Anonymous said...

Dear Emil,

Many thanks for your carefully considered thoughts, the beautiful images, and your kind wishes for the year ahead. All the best to you too!

Heather