Talleyrand, one of the most fascinating character in French history, famously said: “Who did not live in the years close to 1780 did not know the sweetness of life?”.
Is there a chance we say the same when we make the decision to write our memories or tell our grandkids in few decades how life was in the late 20th century and early 21st century.
In other words will this crisis be a turning point for our way of life. How will we work, talk, meet, flirt, date, travel, kiss, hide or shut up... after all this?
The way we voluntarily adopted post 9/11 new security requirement created a precedent. The way we involuntarily submitted ourselves to increased surveillance created another.
We might be ok to have our temperature taken several times per day. Ok to have our blood tested when boarding a plane (spoiler: started this week). But ready to offer government or employers even more data on ourselves than we actually innocently provide FB or Google with? Ready to carry an immunity passport? To be traced and marked? Is it another step towards “brave new world” I discovered with Huxley in high school? Are we moving eyes wide open? Do we have our say? Or is it just a lost cause?
Here rest “douceur de vivre” and “dolce vita”: R.I.P.
Can it be true?
