March 2020 marked a change, a watershed, a turning upside down of human lives, one which came abruptly rather than gradually, originating in China and spreading rapidly all over the world. Devoid of the benefits of a new creative stimulus,, this change manifested itself as a threatening monster, an uncontrollable virus destined to transform global life. An invisible enemy was nearby, gnawing gradually away at our freedom, obliging the whole world to adopt strategies of resistance to survive and preserve our shared humanity. Open-air life and free movement in public places suddenly became forbidden, save for those furtive expeditions to buy food and other necessities. Friends, neighbours, even someone passing in the street, suddenly became a potential enemy, a carrier, a danger and a threat to one’s own safety. Simple gestures such as saying hello or smiling to a shopkeeper while purchasing necessities had to be banned and forgotten. The new leitmotiv we had to learn and abide by was social distancing, to deny contact and not to touch. COVID-19 obliged us to renounce our human and social instincts. If we were to survive, we had to erect walls and act as islands in defiance of John Donne’s seminal assertion.
On or about March 2020 everything changed: Italian Perspectives on a New Era
Stefania Michelucci
2021-01-01
Abstract
March 2020 marked a change, a watershed, a turning upside down of human lives, one which came abruptly rather than gradually, originating in China and spreading rapidly all over the world. Devoid of the benefits of a new creative stimulus,, this change manifested itself as a threatening monster, an uncontrollable virus destined to transform global life. An invisible enemy was nearby, gnawing gradually away at our freedom, obliging the whole world to adopt strategies of resistance to survive and preserve our shared humanity. Open-air life and free movement in public places suddenly became forbidden, save for those furtive expeditions to buy food and other necessities. Friends, neighbours, even someone passing in the street, suddenly became a potential enemy, a carrier, a danger and a threat to one’s own safety. Simple gestures such as saying hello or smiling to a shopkeeper while purchasing necessities had to be banned and forgotten. The new leitmotiv we had to learn and abide by was social distancing, to deny contact and not to touch. COVID-19 obliged us to renounce our human and social instincts. If we were to survive, we had to erect walls and act as islands in defiance of John Donne’s seminal assertion.
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