Normalizing the Abnormal
How much can people tolerate? Apparently, a lot.
Humans tend to adapt, and it’s even considered a useful feature of our beings. However, the problem is that our capability to adjust has no boundaries.
The other day, my university groupmate wrote something like:
‘I’ve already been fully dressed but the missile attack alarm is full blast on, and now I don’t know if I should cancel my plans.’
If the past me read this message, I would have lost my sanity. Missile attack? In my home town? Sirens? Explosions? How can that be? But it’s not the main issue. What does blow my mind, that’s how quickly we get used to surreality — we carry on living ‘around it’, avoiding the fact that life has changed forever.
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When the war in Ukraine started, I knew that the war would be back to the place where it originated because it always returns, and with the destruction doubled. This little prediction of mine even caused a wave of hate from my former acquaintances. Kursk, my hometown, is attacked pretty regularly by now, however, it doesn’t suffer half as much as Belgorod. Before the war, Belgorod was flourishing — it provoked envy in us, Kursk citizens because our city was slowly dying out, forgotten by god and authorities, and in Belgorod, they were lucky to have the governor who was a bit less corrupted and a bit more caring. The city was clean, comfortable for living, and attractive for people from other regions — it used to be a common weekend activity to go on a family trip to the Belgorod Dinosaur Park, and if you moved from Kursk to Belgorod, it was a noticeable level up — salaries were higher, together with the quality of life. The Belgorod International Airport could transport you to the most popular foreign resorts. Well, and now what? Today, Belgorod has turned into a war zone, and people are forced to thrash around the once-prosperous city in search of a basement.
Just like untrained puppies, Putin and his propaganda soldiers are palpitating the nerves of Russians, trying to sense how far they can go, and how many more boundaries they can cross. Only recently, one of the hideous propagandists on Russian TV Vladimir Soloviev called Belgorod citizens ‘cunts’ for their complaints that Russia ignored the catastrophe on its territory. Which is true, by the way. Absolutely nothing and no one is protecting Belgorod from missiles. The civilians even had to create ‘Belgorod is Russia’ hashtag, to attract at least some attention to their troubles.
Similar things are happening all over Russia: a couple of days ago, for instance, some factories underwent a drone attack in the Tatarstan Republic. When the question arose, of who was supposed to be responsible for the safety, the Tatarstan leader almost recommended the ordinary workers to organize defense by themselves.
What’s the reason for all this madness? Is it our self-preservation instinct, as the life goes on no matter what? Is it a generational trauma? You can, of course, blame Russians for being inert but nobody can deny that the whole world is rather prone to adjusting, tolerating, and swallowing the unpleasant truths. As a result, we jeopardize the power that bastards like Putin don’t even possess.
Thus, it’s crucial to remind yourself, what ‘normality’ is, keep the image of it in your head, and check in with it now and then.
Love-Love, Peace-Peace
Anna
Of Northern Germany
