By Mette Karlsvik

BREAK

Breathe calmly. Breathe calmly no. Breathe, pause.

Inhale as you relax. Exhale as you exert yourself. The one who exhales copes with pain better. A break in the pain. We are on the move. Did not practice, was not aware of the pandemic. What to do with a highly contagious viral disease? Heads of state maximized the crisis, panicked, and closed borders. They said we should stay home. We found our solutions in our rooms in our houses and in our cities, regions, countries. The distance became our closest.

Spirituality is pragmatic.

Spirituality is breathing. God is breath,

the holy spirit oxygen,

and respirator transcendence.

Inhale, circulation of blood to the brain, halves of the brain talk together. Spins up dramatic stories, and rants long lyrical passages. Says one or another sentence that gives more opinions but not so many opinions that they become meaningless. Creates a large space for associations. Imagination is pragmatic, thermal theory is: Such water needs more space when energy is supplied, the power of fiction expands the brain. Water turns to steam when it warms up. Steam needs more space than water. Thoughts laden with the power of imagination need a big stage. Scena, eit pusterom.

Here we sit in the same room. One meter between our chairs. We experience the same art, and still see our work in the work. We catch our breath, inhale. Theater is in many ways pragmatic, when one looks closely enough,

is theater distraction and association. Community and togetherness. Is pain relief. And bid for change.