Summer Jam The Hague 2021

[Peter Korsten]

Hey Joost,

> Normally I’d build a big party for the Saturday eve, but I feel a bit conflicted to invite too many people. There are no NL restrictions on group size in private homes but I think it’s still wise not to cluster too much.
>
> On the other hand, with the high vaccination rates in the Western world, I think we can also meet up again. Still, don’t seek it out. Like, you won’t find me going clubbing in a dark damp sweaty room…

It's not easy. It boils down to finding a balance between physical 
health and mental health. But provided that everybody has been 
vaccinated, the risks to physical health should be minimal. Heck, you 
could have had it and not even notice.

As for mental health, be prepared for some anxiety. You can't go from 
living like a hermit to full-on party mode, and expect everything to be 
like it was before. Hugging people? Probably awkward.

So, when the big day comes, be kind to yourself. Things won't be the 
same for some time to come. Don't do things that you think that other 
people expect from you; do the things that you feel comfortable with.

It's very important to be kind to and take care of other people, but 
even more so for yourself. After you've taken care of yourself, there's 
still plenty left for other people.

> About flat-earthers, certificate fraud, etc… it doesn’t really match what I’ve seen from people around me. I know of two friends who didn’t (fully) vaccinate, and they both have good (medically sound) reasons. I cannot name anyone in my surroundings that has been cavalier about other people’s health.

You haven't been following Perry on Facebook then.

> I really feel it’s important to keep a bit of respect for each other in these quite challenging times. Also, let’s be mindful of the catastrophe that’s happening in less rich countries right now.

That will come back to bite us. To be fair, rich countries got the 
hardest hit by the pandemic when it first started, because their 
citizens can actually afford to fly around the world.

As for the respect: I have very little sympathy for those who use belief 
as a justification to conduct that harms others. For me, there's no 
essential difference between those blowing up desperate people in Kabul, 
or those who allow mutations to continue to pop up, and jeopardise those 
with health issues, because they watched a sodding YouTube video.

- Peter