We have become accustomed to energy prices being so high that many people cannot afford to heat their homes in winter. We have also become accustomed to certain medicines, including antibiotics for children, not being readily available. Now, since Czech black-out this week, we are beginning to accept that a steady supply of electricity cannot be taken for granted. Gradually, we will become accustomed to more and more signs of decline.
I am not adding housing affordability to this list because it is widely recognised as a problem, and there are people who want to address it. However, the public and the ruling elite have surprisingly easily come to terms with several hours of power outages. No one is promising that it won’t happen again. No one is calling for decisive action. A few articles have appeared in the newspapers on how to protect refrigerated food in such situations — and that’s it. It has simply become part of our lives.
It’s not just a case of boiling frogs because most of the population is aware of the trend. But nobody can stop it. Each year, we are a little poorer than the previous year. Every year, we are a little less free. Every year, our level of education decreases. Statistically, our relationships are a little worse every year. Every year, more people experience mental health problems.
Critically minded people wonder if this is just an impression. Have I chosen indicators that show decline and omitted other indicators that show growth? Take the computing capacity we have at our disposal, for example. This is growing. Or the volume of knowledge that experts have in certain specialised disciplines. But this should be reflected in everyday life. If it is not, there is a problem somewhere.
The decline is not uniform. It is slightly different under each government. Disasters strike, then conditions improve slightly (but do not return to pre-disaster levels), then another disaster strikes… In general, it can be said that the situation under Babiš’s governments is fairly stable, but this is not enough to reverse the trend towards renewal. And I fear that even the “alternative,” which offers a ban on vaccination, anti-Semitism, or possibly the worship of space beings as a solution to the civilizational crisis, will not be able to bring about the necessary change.
The worst thing about it is that we are all affected. Even I am not able to think as well as the educated people of previous generations.
Reversing the trend is possible and even likely, but it will be extremely difficult. Until then, we must expect that, after reliable energy supplies, we will lose more and more of the certainties that have been part of civilized life.