Liquid Fear. Zygmunt Bauman.
It’s not the first time I have recommended Bauman. Liquid Life was the first book I read from this influential thinker who, in my opinion, is unique at describing the famous VUCA world we all talk about.In a time when we start every single day with scary alerts (coronavirus, storms named after people –Gloria, Denis, Ellen-, global impacts of opportunist politic decisions, etc.) nobody can even doubt that fear is, more than ever, a powerful weapon to manipulate the population.
Knowledge kills fear. In a scenario without clarity, in a society without information, individualist, confused and with no focus, it is much easier to use fear to modify or influence messages, attitudes and behaviours. If we do not understand or know the origin of fear, we are blind and helpless. Surprisingly enough, origins and connections of fear are quite transversal but, inspite of this, we usually choose to fight fear alone… What if solidarity empowers us to find an easier solution to our fears which, deep inside, are collective and not individual? Such is one of the several discussions you will find in a book that is an essential these days.
