Coronavirus: Die Hölle (Audio 06:08 min)
Slupetzky was sitting at his old typewriter and looking through his skylight into the starry night sky. The coronavirus pandemic already had his world firmly under control for almost a year. Everyone on his small planet seemed to be massively affected by this crisis.
He was under no illusions. It was clear to him from the start that a pandemic would last at least two years until the virus infected around seventy percent of the people. Now almost a year was over and not even ten percent of the population was infected. Accordingly, they had only about a quarter of the pandemic behind them, if at all. This pandemic would therefore last at least one or two years and, as predicted, continue in waves. Now, just before Christmas, they were in the middle of the “second wave” all over his continent.
The pandemic had changed their lives in ways that very few could have imagined. Ordinary life had come to a complete standstill, the “new normal” that they were now experiencing consisted of “lockdowns”, exit restrictions and contact bans.
The conditions in which they had to live had put all of them in the most uncomfortable circumstances. Each and every one of them took turns in fear, pain and anger and found themselves in excruciatingly deadly boredom. In addition, they were all faced with a previously unknown level of powerlessness. It was often almost unbearable.
Slupetzky thought of Erich Fromm’s book “To have or to be?” Therein, the German social psychologist described the two different ways of living. While most of the people around him followed the “having” type of life, they were now forced to get into a state of “being”. In normal life, up until now, people had wanted to “have” everything, from money to property and work. Now most of this “having” was blocked. On the other hand they all “had” time in an almost unbearable way.
What should one do with all the time in such a “lockdown”, when one no longer had a job, no school, no more going out? Slupetzky remembered his old religion teacher in elementary school. This little old man had told them about hell as children:
When the rich man died he went to hell. He was welcomed by the devil and greeted with the following words: “Welcome, rich man! You can wish anything you want!” The rich man was surprised. Should that be hell? Would he really be allowed to wish whatever he wanted?
First of all, he wanted a large apartment and a credit card with which he could pay for everything he bought without restriction. The devil led him into his new apartment and presented him the credit card. The rich man was overjoyed. So he lived day in and day out in his large apartment and bought everything he wanted.
But after a few years he began to become dissatisfied. He called the devil and complained: “Devil, this apartment has no outlet. I would like to have a terrace.” The next moment the apartment had a terrace.
Another few years passed before the rich man became dissatisfied again. Again he called the devil to him: “Devil, I want a house with a garden.” In the next moment the man had a house with a garden.
Even if the rich man was content for a while, after a few years he began to get bored again. “Devil, I want a swimming pool!” In the next moment the house had a swimming pool.
So in Hell the rich man got everything he wanted. But every time he was dissatisfied anew. Again he called the devil: “Devil, I can’t stand hell any longer. Whatever I wish for, I’ll get bored after a few years at the latest. It’s a vicious circle.” The devil started laughing. “I have a request,” said the rich man: “May I look up to heaven for a moment? Just for a single moment. Please, devil, may I?”
The devil had a brief consultation with God. God granted the rich man this wish. And so the rich man left hell for a moment and went up to heaven. Saint Peter received him and opened the gate. And when the rich man looked into heaven, he suddenly was seized by a previously unknown, infinite happiness. And so he is there and gazes until today.
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Vienna Calling 