Meet the Pandemic Generation
Some specialists believe that she’ll be dependent and with selfish and self-centred characteristics. But the truth is that his existence generates a duality of predictions between the psychological and philosophical fields
SÃO PAULO, BRAZIL — The main discussion at the moment is the Covid-19 vaccination. South and North America, and Europe are the only continents that, in their totality, are realizing vaccination programs.
In Asia and Oceania, a few countries are not vaccinating their citizens yet. Africa is the most delayed continent in this process, with only 16 of its 54 nations having vaccination underway.
The vaccination is the latest bet to control the Coronavirus pandemic. This pandemic highlighted political, diplomatic, economical, environmental and social issues in Brazil.
Not only the Brazilian population felt the impact of this pandemic, but also all societies across the globe. However, there is something that did not change, the process of procreation.
The pandemic generation, a group of people born during the pandemic, already exists. Its characteristics have begun being observed, and even speculated upon.
According to the psychologist Priscila de Mattos, these people will already be born into a new system, which is based on individualization and the absence of proximity and affection.
“I believe that these people will have individualistic and egocentric characteristics and will not want to socialize as much”, she estimates.
These particularities can be foreseen because the children, and even the youngsters whose identity formation process may happen during the pandemic, are always present in the home. As a result, they may not improve other characteristics besides being their parents' children, as they’re not interested in other contexts.
Because of that, the psychologist Natasha Tortelli says that this generation may become less independent as they are only organized under the institution of the family.
“The youngsters that have never kissed and learn on the news that the touch is dangerous, for example, ends up understanding that he is only safe to relate via the internet, either because of the virus or because of family control”, she comments.
From the philosophical point of view of this spectrum, it’s known that certain events that happen in the history of mankind leave stigmas that are unlikely to be erased. This has been the case since time immemorial.
Therefore, not only the generation that is being born now but also the previous lineage of children will develop the framework of making a memory of every aspect and every process in which people are involved. This is because humans are the centre of the cultural process.
Because of that, the philosopher and master in education from USP, Marcos Santos, does not believe that the pandemic generation will be of more introspective people. “I think that the introspection is not a picture generated only by these phenomenons that happen from period to period concerning the human existence”, he points out.
Introspective or not, the fact is that this new generation will take influences from the previous generation, referring to the children, adults and the elderly. Because of that, this transfer of knowledge and feeling will depend solely on the impact of the pandemic felt by each of those age groups.
And this is where exists a duality. The psychological field is divided between those who believe that children are the most affected and those who believe that the adults and the elderly are the most affected by the pandemic.
From the first field, it is observed that, besides the increasing child violence, distancing the children deprived them of the necessary socialization with their peers, an activity in which significant learning takes place, such as cooperation, physical interactions, dealing with differences, controlling impulses and sharing decisions.
According to the psychologist Natasha Tortelli, physical distance ends up limiting these issues in child development. “That means the child can present an excessive attachment to its parents and fear that family members will become ill”, she explains.
However, for those who believe that the most affected by the pandemic are the adults and the elderly, the argument is that, before the Covid-19 conflict, these people were already in an established system of living together.
In this environment, kissing, hugging and socializing were culturally instituted actions. “Because they’re having to change their pre-existing habits and behaviour, I believe that the adults and the elderly are those who are most affected by the pandemic”, opines psychologist Priscila de Mattos.
Whether it's children, adults or the elderly who are most affected, the fact is that the three lineages before the pandemic are part of a civilization that did not seek to relate either to Earth or to life. After all, it created its own laws as if it could have a world in another world.
Therefore, this civilization wants, from its accumulated knowledge and ignorance, to build something that will protect it from death, loneliness and disease, processes that are all a part of life. So, in order not to live these situations, the philosopher, psychoanalyst and poet Viviane Mosé points out that this society is characterized by not wanting life.
According to Viviane, there is insignificance in the species that she doesn’t want to believe. Being insignificant does not mean being minor. Being insignificant, in this case, implies having to compose. “It’s time for humanity to understand its insignificant dimension, to understand that it is the principle of fragility that rules life, not the control”, she highlights.
This principle of fragility shows how much society needs interaction. Precisely because of that, the pandemic generation will have to live with actions that will never cease to be important, such as face-to-face activity and interaction.
This happens because the pandemic reinforces the importance of life in the face-to-face mood. After all, even though digital resources are relevant to life in isolation, contact is irreplaceable. “Human being needs physical contacts, hugging, kissing and holding the hand of a loved one. Not to mention the rituals that make us humans and with which we celebrate life, such as weddings, birthdays and even wakes”, notes social scientist Janie Pacheco.
Even in a worst-case scenario, in which the pandemic extends for another 20 to 30 years, people that are part of the pandemic generation will be isolated, but also open to socializing.
“The more a society is isolated, the tastier conviviality is. We know that because we are human beings and because we are driving by this longing to have exactly what we don’t have”, explains Viviane Mosé.
It is undeniable that the fight against Coronavirus has transformed the way interpersonal and labour relations are built and maintained. However, the period of existence of this confrontation may not be enough to create a generation considered properly as children of the pandemic.
Everything will depend, therefore, on the duration of the pandemic. “I believe that two years are not enough time to talk about a generation that is born in this period and carries some of his characteristics. Because of that, I believe that the concept ‘pandemic generation’ is excessive”, rejects the philosopher and columnist of Folha de S. Paulo newspaper, Luiz Felipe Pondé.
