after the party

We saw in the new year watching a trashy film which got rudely interrupted by the fireworks. Berlin is absolutely crazy, I have never seen anything like it. At midnight there was a continuous banging of fireworks going off. We went on the balcony to see the spectacle. The extra shows our view which doesn't do it justice. The air was full of the smell of the explosives. No wonder the rescue services are put on alert. Fires and injured people are not surprising. What is surprising is that some people were firing pyros at balconies and were attacking rescue services. 

So it is ok for people to spend huge amounts of money on pyros during a cost of living crisis. It is ok to add strain to the rescue services. It is ok to freak out animals. It is ok to set off explosives when there is a war relatively nearby with lots of people seeking refuge here. All this is ok because it is tradition and we have done it always like that. But it is not ok to glue yourself to a road and cause a little inconvenience to remind the politicians that they agreed to do something about climate change. 

This is about individual liberties that impose on the collective. We are told that we are worth it, that bigger is better. In many ways the fireworks are exactly like driving a SUV through town. Nobody needs to set off a couple of 100 shot pyro boxes. But bigger is better. The centre right parties appealed to the masses to restrain themselves and be sensible. If you are interested you can read the fire service report for Berlin what actually happened.

We need to remember that individual freedoms are only secured if there are societal rules otherwise the law of the jungle applies. 

We had a nice walk through town that seems to be collectively nursing a hangover. Mostly families with kids were out and about. It was nice to see the huge roads unusually quiet.