Beyond polarity, embracing complexity.

21 november 2021

Beyond polarity, embracing complexity.

Ik kies wat oude werken uit de kast en zet er nieuwe lagen op. Laag op laag tekent zich een nieuw beeld op het papier dat al jaren in mijn kast zit. Het voelt bevrijdend aan. Zeker in deze tijden van polarisatie waarin het lijkt alsof enkel zwart of wit bestaansrecht hebben. Het maakt me moe om het nieuws te lezen. Ik sluit mijn ogen. Niet dat ik het daardoor niet zie. Maar ik zie het minder, het krijgt minder aandacht. Ik richt me op het hier en nu. Ik fiets. Ik praat met fijne mensen. En voor de zoveelste keer smijt ik de facebook-app van mijn smartphone. Dat geeft rust.

Ik maakte een video. Voor het eerst in mijn leven. Stop-motion. Niet niks. Vele uren werk.


Stop-motion video: 'Beyond polarity. Embracing complexity' - A mixed media art performance made by Anje Claeys (november 2021).


Essay geschreven in 'The Golden Art Week' in November 2021, and finalized in January 2022 (English only)

I scroll through my social media feeds and find posts from people about all the reasons we should or shouldn’t vaccinate. I am stunned by all the opinions people shout out on social media.

Polarity has hit us.

We have entered a big debate that looks like a minefield. I am tired after reading all the frozen words. It makes me sad. Really sad. Is this what we call humanity?

Something seems to be missing, something in between black and white. Something that is really important to me. I am talking about the one hundred shades of grey. I am alarmed by the certainty with which people claim their opinion. I would love to welcome the taste of empathy in the room. The energy of deep listening, which involves the heart. A delightful dialogue perhaps?

I know people who have made the choice to vaccinate. Educated people, smart people, wise people. Some of them are my friends, some of them are family. I find it interesting to listen to them and I have discovered that I can always somehow relate to what they are saying. Not that I necessarily agree completely, but I can truly sense their concerns. Most importantly, in listening deeply and investigating in an open and non-jugdmental way, I discover many delicate nuances. There are so many reasons people chose to have the needle put into their arm. Some of them I can empathize with easily, others are more difficult. Still, not impossible to find common ground.

I also know people who have made the choice not to vaccinate. Educated people, smart people, wise people. Some of them are my friends, some of them are family. I find it interesting to listen to them and I have discovered that I can always somehow relate to what they are saying. Not that I necessarily agree completely, but I can truly sense their concerns. Most importantly, in listening deeply and investigating in an open and non-jugdmental way, I discover many delicate nuances. There are so many reasons people chose to have the needle put into their arm. Some of them I can empathize with easily, others are more difficult. Still, not impossible to find common ground.

From my open dialogues with people at both ends of the spectrum, I notice that one way or another, both sides are worried about the same things in making their choice. There is talk about health, prudence, safety, comfort, trust, autonomy, agency, economy, solidarity and global care. And yes, also about freedom, respect, tolerance, ecology, nature and peace. The needs on both sides seem to be the same but often the arguments are different.

This is rich territory. In digging more deeply underneath the surface, I believe both sides together can reveal gaps in the system, pointing to ethical issues and global challenges ahead so that we, as a society, can climb to the next level.

Many people seem to agree over what they think the best solution is. However some people bring out opinions that are less mainstream. If heard and taken seriously, they would definitely add more wisdom into the dialogue. Taking us beyond polarity. I do not believe in a society that would be in complete agreement about one dominant strategy on a topic that is as complex as this. It seems quite utopic to me. Not only about the vaccination issue, but also about other global puzzles for which we struggle with all the pieces.

Beyond polarity, I wonder...

Is it wise to put energy in trying to convince people who have made their choice? Is it wise to try to push them harder? It it wise not to listen to them or wiser to truly see the seeds of wisdom hidden in their ‘no’? Is it wise to only focus on national numbers and forget abouth the scale we’re dealing with? It’s a pandemic. A global thing. A complex matter. Let’s address it respectively. Let’s embrace complexity and allow all of the voices to be heard.

I wonder what is needed to deal with this issue on a more global scale? I would love to zoom out and address tough and complex issues such as poverty, housing, violence, trauma, aids, migration, malaria, and climate perhaps, with the same determination as we battle this virus. That would make me proud to be human.

If only that would be possible. Imagine...

Imagine that we could create a society that is as robust and flexible as this virus. A society that mutates and shifts whenever it encounters an enemy. Imagine that no one would be left out, that knowledge would be shared, that health would be promoted, that we would truly listen to other peoples’ opinions and integrate their vision into a beautiful narrative that holds all of our voices.

Imagine also other puzzle issues such as world peace. Putting together the pieces starts in our own heart. It is about oneness. Beyond polarity. The mainstream challenge in this pandemic seems to be the global vaccination number but to me, it is more about how we can overcome our differences, root in common ground and build a warm society that prophets and seers have envisioned for ages.

Isn’t this what solidarity truly is about?

(18/01/22)


Biography

Anje Claeys is a scribe, artist and social entrepreneur. She has MSc degrees in Biochemistry and Virology and has obtained a PhD in Medical Sciences at KU Leuven, Belgium, in 2004.

This text was written to complement the video: ‘Beyond polarity. Embracing complexity.’ It is to be considered as an artistic response to a world in crisis. Text and video made by Anje Claeys, 2021.

If you have a complex ‘puzzle’ issue you would like to investigate and could use a helping hand, don’t hesitate to contact me. I scribe and make things visible, in an open and non-judgmental way. Please feel welcome.


References I have enjoyed reading/listening/watching (both in English and Dutch)

People who are vaccinated still spread the virus. Vaccination is mainly a strategy to lower the risk of severe disease.

The Lancet: ‘COVID-19: stigmatising the unvaccinated is not justified.’
Günther Kampf.

https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(21)02243-1/fulltext

(20 Nov 2021)

‘People who are vaccinated have a lower risk of severe disease but are still a relevant part of the pandemic. It is therefore wrong and dangerous to speak of a pandemic of the unvaccinated. Historically, both the USA and Germany have engendered negative experiences by stigmatising parts of the population for their skin colour or religion. I call on high-level officials and scientists to stop the inappropriate stigmatisation of unvaccinated people, who include our patients, colleagues, and other fellow citizens, and to put extra effort into bringing society together.’


This is a pandemic. Therefore a global strategy is needed.

De Volkskrant: ‘Zolang er Corona is in Afrika, loopt de hele wereld gevaar.’

Tobias Rinke de Wit, onderzoeksdirecteur Stichting PharmAccess.

https://www.volkskrant.nl/kijkverder/track-en-trace/v/zolang-er-corona-is-in-afrika-loopt-de-hele-wereld-gevaar/

Waar komen al die mutanten vandaan? Normaliter duurt een covid-infectie slechts een aantal weken. Maar bij sommige mensen, vooral degenen die een onderdrukt immuunsysteem hebben, kan corona maandenlang aanwezig blijven. Bij die mensen heeft het virus meer tijd om mutaties te ontwikkelen. Daardoor kunnen varianten ontstaan.

(...)

De wereld zal zich nooit veilig voelen zolang er nieuwe mutanten uit Afrika en andere arme gebieden blijven opkomen. Telkens weer zullen we geconfronteerd worden met nieuwe varianten en iedere keer opnieuw zullen we moeten testen of de vaccins tegen de nieuwe varianten werken.

Juist daarom zou het gekissebis in dit land rond onze vaccinatiecampagnes moeten stoppen. Natuurlijk, Nederlanders moeten zo spoedig mogelijk gevaccineerd worden.

Maar de werkelijke uitdaging voor massale vaccinatie is Afrika. Niet straks, maar nu. Nalatigheid van de Westerse wereld in het dempen van de pandemie in dat continent zal op termijn ons allen duur komen te staan. De Nederlandse economie is bij uitstek verweven met die van de wereld. Laten we daarom bij de aanstaande verkiezingen pleiten voor een verhoogde Nederlandse deelname in COVAX.


A pandemic shows us that one of the biggest challenge is global unequity.

De Volkskrant: ‘De armste landen grijpen naast de vaccinaties.’

Semina Ajrović

https://www.volkskrant.nl/kijkverder/track-en-trace/v/de-armste-landen-grijpen-naast-de-vaccinaties-dit-zijn-de-belangrijkste-grafieken


The true challenge is unequity. To be able to feel safe, all the continents need to be safe.

BBC World News: ‘Omicron Covid Variant.’

Interview with Dr. Ayoade Alaskija, co-chair of the African Vaccine Delivery Alliance

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZB2IrghOxDI

‘What is going on right now is inevitable, it's a result of the world's failure to vaccinate in an equitable, urgent and speedy manner. It is as a result of hoarding [of vaccines] by high-income countries of the world, and quite frankly it is unacceptable.’

(28 Nov 2021)


On vaccine apartheid.

SABC News: ‘Outrage over travel bans imposed on Southern African Countries.’

Interview with Dr. Ayoade Alaskija, co-chair of the African Vaccine Delivery Alliance

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nrllN4bBMHg

(29 Nov 2021)


About the new omicron variant: Science will tell if this new variant is more dangerous than the other variants. It is not because it is highly transmissible that is more dangerous. Future will tell.

BBC Sounds: ‘Omicron: What we know sof ar about the Covid-19 variant.’

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p0b6pj0p

(28 Nov 2021)


Does the vaccine need an update? Research will tell.

Reuters: 'Pfizer/BioNTech, Moderna expect data on shot's protection against new COVID-19 variant soon.'

https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/biontech-says-expect-more-data-new-variant-2-weeks-2021-11-26/

(27 Nov 2021)


We are free to chose whether or not we want to vaccinate yet we aren’t. The blur borders between freedom and constraint. Must read essay rooted in the work of Foucault.

De wereld morgen: ‘Het heeft geen zin vaccinweigeraars egoïsten te noemen.’
Thomas Decreus

https://www.dewereldmorgen.be/artikel/2021/11/10/beste-stefan-hertmans-het-heeft-geen-zin-vaccinweigeraars-egoisten-te-noemen/

‘In dit essay wil ik een ander narratief ontwikkelen, één dat weggaat van individuele, morele culpabalisering of het binair tegenover elkaar plaatsen van individualiteit versus collectiviteit, egoïsme versus solidariteit. De basishypothese van waaruit ik wil vertrekken is de volgende: niet de vaccinweigeraars maar wel de introductie van de covid-pas en bijhorende moraliserende vertogen kunnen worden beschouwd als een dieptepunt van een neoliberalisme dat in diepe crisis verkeert.’

(...)

‘Het is de verdienste van Foucault geweest om het neoliberalisme als een bestuursvorm te herkennen en te beschrijven. Maar wat volgens mij te weinig aan bod komt bij Foucault – en dat heeft ook te maken met het feit dat hij zijn analyses van het neoliberalisme in de laten jaren zeventig maakte – is hoe het voelt om onder neoliberaal bestuur te leven? Wat doet het neoliberaal bestuur met je? Hoe ervaren mensen dergelijke vorm van bestuur? Tot welke affecten leidt het? Het neoliberalisme lijkt een quasi onzichtbare bestuursvorm te zijn, die dwingt zonder te bevelen. Concreet uit zich dat in een gevoel gestuurd te worden richting een bepaald gedrag zonder dat er iemand aan te duiden is die daadwerkelijk dwingt. Onder neoliberaal bestuur wordt het onderscheid tussen vrijheid en dwang, tussen stimuleren en verplichten steeds vager. Of het bestuur wordt beleefd als vrijheid of dwang hangt in belangrijke mate af van de subjectieve ervaring en maatschappelijke positie van het individu.’

(10 Nov 2021)

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