When we study historical events, we struggle to grasp how human life was considered back in the days. Life was meaningless but also precious. In ancient roman times or during the middle ages, your best friend would have killed you if your two families had some sudden litigation. People used to kill for honor, for futile things like looking someone in the eyes or not crossing a road to show respect.

But life also had a meaning, life meant something every day: sufferings were meaningful, the daily grind was precious. Rest time was so scarce that the pleasure of it was unbarable. Having a piece of red meat once a month was an opportunity for a party.

Now we are not soft, we are simply despaired and without meaning. And we try to tell ourselves that mankind has never seen such progress, such wealth, such technological achievements. That may be true - although I have some doubts. What is also true is that we lost our relationship with the Five Senses.

We watch but generally don't see; we hear but we generally don't listen. We touch but don't feel. Anything seems to have lost its smell and its taste. Our softness is predicated on that, nothing seems scarce, so our westerners sick brains started giving most things for granted. And we give for granted the Google Maps help, so we don't care to remember routes; give food for granted, so we generally don't remember the taste of the steak we eat nor the taste of the eggs.

Softness is not predicated on the fact that we don't have wolves or bears looking actively for our flash. Softness is not predicated on the fact that we don't have an enemy soldier aiming at our windows with their sniper. Softness is in the Grey.

Our parents didn't live through wars, they are relatively young. Possibly, they never suffered thirst nor hunger. They lived though the daily grind of western human life as all of us today are doing, but they are not soft. They fight for what they believe is true, they stand for themselves and for their ideas. They don't punch people because they don't agree with them, even though muscles are not lacking under the skin.

That's not softness, it's lack of A battle to fight. Once you have something to aim for, your softness disappears. Even if you're a thin adolescent in a 21st century western wealthy country.