Every new crisis brings with it a renewed hope of a “return to normal.” But what is normal? Normality is not an objective condition. It is a narrative that gives coherence to experience. When events disrupt our fundamental certainties, that narrative collapses. The entrenchment of populism in public discourse, through the simplification of reality into binary oppositions and an emphasis on emotional mobilisation, has diminished our ability to understand complex emotions. Social media have ceased merely to describe reality and have begun to shape it, algorithmically amplifying content that provokes strong reactions, while the overwhelming volume of unfiltered information has weakened the connection between emotion and meaning. As a result, emotions have not disappeared. They remain disconnected, indistinct, and unprocessed, leading to a form of social alexithymia, a society suspended in an emotional state of inhibition.

In psychiatry, the term “alexithymia” describes a difficulty in recognising, understanding, and expressing emotions, leaving them inhibited and confined beneath the surface. They are then expressed indirectly through tension, physical symptoms, emotional outbursts, or emotional detachment. On a social level, this creates a culture that accelerates experience without allowing time for reflection, encouraging either emotional overexpression or complete avoidance.

Outbursts of violence between ordinary people, juvenile delinquency, crime, and even the phenomenon of the “Great Resignation” can all be understood within this framework. When today’s parents struggle to tolerate the discomfort that comes with setting boundaries, children fail to learn how to cope with frustration and limits, making it more difficult for them to function within society. When inner experience remains “frozen” and deprived of meaning, impulse replaces thought and conflict becomes the primary means of release. Phenomena such as the “Great Resignation” express a reaction to chronic disconnection, where awareness of one’s needs is not accompanied by genuine integration. Together, these are the shared characteristics of a society in despair.

But how do we “repair” a society in despair? The answer inevitably lies in restoring our capacity to feel and to create meaning. Art, as an intermediate space between unspoken emotion and conscious understanding, enables the externalisation of experiences that have not yet found words, creating forms that can be seen and shared. Through art, viewers reconnect with their inner experience, learn to tolerate ambiguity, and become capable of recognising emotion, fostering a more mature collective process of understanding.