We
are under care, not at war
For a new metaphor for today
No,
I will not resign myself. This is not a war, we are not at war.
Ever
since the dominant narrative in Italy and in the world about the
pandemic has assumed a war terminology — that is, immediately after
the health situation in any given country changes drastically for the
worse — I have been looking for a different metaphor to describe
adequately what we are living and suffering and at the same time to
offer elements of hope and of sense for the days ahead.
The
recourse to the war metaphor has been pointed out and criticized by
some commentators, but it has a fascination, an immediate reach and
efficacy, so that it is not easy to stamp it out. With great interest
I have read some contributions — not numerous, as far as I can see
— that have appeared in the past days: the article of Daniele
Cassandro (“We are at war! Coronavirus and its metaphors”) for
Internazionale, the
mini-inquiry of Vita.it
on “The virulence of war vocabulary”, the entry by Gianluca
Briguglia on his blog Il
Post (“No, it’s not a
war”), and the excellent work of Marino Sinibaldi on Radio 3, who
has dedicated one episode of “Language hits” to this very theme
and has also introduced a possible alternative metaphor: the
“vocabulary of tenaciousness”. The dozens of artists, scholars,
intellectuals, actors invited to choose and illustrate a significant
word in this moment of history have furnished a valuable list that
goes from “harmony” to “closeness”, but I cannot find there a
term that might be a metaphor for the entire narrative of the reality
that we are living.
Yet,
as I said at the beginning, I didn’t resign myself: we are not at
war!
On
account of my own history, my formation, and my conditions of life, I
know well the distinguishing ridge, that of the spiritual struggle
and of a holy or just war, along which it is easy to lose one’s
balance and fall into an interpretation of oneself, of one’s own
life, and of the course of history according to a war template.
But
then, if we are not at war, where are we? We are under care!
Credit photo: Fabio Bucciarelli, NYT
Not
only the sick, but our planet, all of us, are not at war, but are
under care. And care includes — despite the physical distance that
is asked of us at the present — every aspect of our existence, in
this undetermined period of the pandemic as well as “after”,
which, thanks to this very care, can begin already now, or rather,
has already begun.
Now,
both war and care have need of some attributes: strength (a different
thing from violence), perspicacity, courage, resoluteness, also
tenaciousness… But then they
are sustained by very different nourishment. War has need of enemies,
borders and trenches, arms and ammunition, spies, deception and lies,
ruthlessness and money… Care, on the other hand, is nourished by
other things: closeness, solidarity, compassion, humility, dignity,
delicacy, tact, listening, authenticity, patience, perseverance…
For
this reason, all of us can be real agents of this care of the other,
of the planet, of ourselves with them — all, men and women of every
or no belief, everyone according to his or her capacity, competence,
inspiring principles, physical and psychological capabilities.
Doctors in their studios and in hospitals, nurses, paramedical staff,
virologists and scientists are agents of care… So are government
and public functionaries, state servants, of the res
publica and of the common
good… So are the workers in essential services, psychologists,
social assistants, persons engaged in voluntary associations… So
are teachers and students, men and women of the arts and of culture…
So are priests, bishops, and pastors, ministers of different cults,
and catechists… So are parents and children, close friends and
one’s neighbors… So are agents of care, and not only objects of
care, the sick, the dying, the weak — precious and fragile goods
“to be handled with care”: the poor, the homeless, the
immigrants, those on the margins of society, those imprisoned, the
victims of domestic violence and of wars…
An
awareness of being in care, thus — and not at war — is a
fundamental condition also for “after”. The future will be
colored by what we have been capable of living during these most
difficult days, it will be determined by our capacity of prevention
and of care, beginning with care of the only planet at our disposal.
If we are and will be able to be custodians of the earth, the earth
itself will take care of us and will protect the indispensable
condition for our life.
Wars
end, even if they begin anew as soon as the necessary resources are
found, but care, on the other hand, never ends. If in fact there
exist diseases that (for now) can not be healed, there do not exist
and never will exist persons to whom we can not offer care.
Indeed,
we are not at war, we are under care! Let us take care of ourselves
together.
Guido
Dotti
March
29th,
2020
