Dealing with fear
On 2 April, more than thirty Youth Section members from America to Europe to Israel took part in a video conference on SARS-CoV-2.
Whenever people talk about Covid-19 they seem to be stuck between the devil and the deep blue sea. Since direct meetings are strictly limited or even banned in many countries, it is the digital channels of all things that make it possible for us to stay in touch.
The Youth Section at the Goetheanum also used these media, organizing a video conference with groups across the world. More than thirty young people shared with each other how the situation affected their country and their Youth Section group.
Georg Soldner, the co-leader of the Medical Section, who joined the meeting for a period of time, explained that Covid-19 is indeed a life-threatening disease. He also made it clear, however, that direct contact is vital for human beings. When asked what this pandemic is telling us, Georg Soldner pointed to the disturbed relationship between humans and animals. He opposed monocausal explanations by referring to the whole range of lifestyles that prevail in modern industrial societies.
The lack of personal encounters and events weighs heavily on young people. But they continue working together, using digital channels wherever possible. A young woman reported that she is sending out positive signals via Instagram and that she starts every day with gratitude. Others share literature and thoughts. The situation, they said, offered society the chance for change, comparable with the time of the Spanish Flu during which Rudolf Steiner inaugurated the Waldorf School and the social threefolding idea. It was also important to find one’s own way of dealing with issues such as fear and death.
Website of the Youth Section.