Two planets
After reading Gebied 19 (Area 19) by Esther Gerritsen I find myself puzzled, looking for answers. But also questioning myself: on which planet would I belong? What side is the right one? What is right? How can you recognize it? Is it the same for everybody? All the time? And what if friends or family are on the other side? Will you fight for what you hold dear? For how long?
Questions that transcend the book. Questions that are timeless. But also questions that in certain times seem more relevant than in other times. In that regard the book, published in 2023, fits in with the spirits of the times.
Did I find any answers? I’m not so sure. I do know that I don’t like to think black and white. I often don’t want to pick sides, but instead find myself looking for arguments for either party. I like to be able to doubt, to question and research. But what if exactly those practices are attacked?
In that light, when darkness falls, when there’s a veil wrapped around reason, when the processes to acquire wisdom are no longer valued, but one can still clearly see in the diminishing light, I believe you should not look away.